You, Me, & Everyone in Between.

It's hard to be thankful, but...

2009-11-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

(I apologize, this is a longer entry than usual. If you are impatient or in a hurry, I encourage you to move to the end and at least watch the video)

Normally, I write about food and typically, today would be a great day to do just that. But I don't think that today is about food. In my opinion, today is about pausing to open our eyes and recognize all that we can be thankful for.

It's much easier today, and everyday, to think of all that do don't have. (Especially this year) I'd be lying if I tried to tell you that this has been an easy year. 2009 will be known forever for it's financial crisis. Whether you rich or poor you are not immune to it's effects. We also face the ever present decay of our environment, a continuing war with terrorism, disintegration of values and integrity, swine flu, and to top it off, a Democrat led government (for my republican friends). These problems are just the tip of the ice burg. Once we scrape the surface, we find that each of us has our own personal battles that we face each and everyday.

I pause to remind myself that it's much easier to focus on what's wrong with our lives and the world, than it is to think of what's right.

Today, although it's hard, I challenge You and Me to remove the veil and witness first hand all that we are thankful for.

Giving thanks is a choice. We must redirect our wandering minds and stop listening to the lies.

Today, I've made the decision to give thanks, even though it's hard. Here are just a few of the things that I am thankful for:

- I'm thankful for each relationship that I've experienced this year. I've felt so much growth because of the people I've shared fellowship with. My life is good because of the brothers and sisters in it.

- I'm thankful for my family who's been willing to support me. They brought me home this holiday to celebrate with them.

- I'm thankful for turkey, whether industrial or local, and all of the people who have slaved over bringing Tom to each of our tables.

- I thankful for the three car accidents I've experienced in the past two months - I'm alive.

- I'm thankful for my story, though it's full of ups and downs, it's uniquely mine and a gift from the creator whose full of grace, as is yours.

- I'm thankful for awe, wonder and hope.

Here are two stories that make me thankful.

1. What Makes the Taureg Happy? A video about the Taureg of Niger, Africa.

2. The Traffic Signs of God. The goodness of a few New Yorkers.

May You, Me and Everyone in between make the decision to give thanks today (and enjoy good food!)

Marketable market ideas

2009-10-21T13:19:00.001-07:00

I visited the firehouse farmers market in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, PA. this past Saturday. While I was there, I interacted with most of the vendors and some of the patrons. Below are some ideas inspired by the market in Pittsburgh.

Food sampling:

Slow Food sponsored food sampling

Prepare recipes on small butane burners for market patrons. See Example.

Request donations. Otherwise, the food is purchased with the SF chattanooga chapter's budget.

Local chefs will cook the samples voluntarily (provided ingredients by SF), with the hope of lots of free advertising.

Shop with a chef:

When a chef, or famous foodie is purchasing food, a volunteer will follow with a chef's hat attached to a long stick.

Patrons follow and glean from the chef's expertise.

Market Ambassadors:

Collect a contingent of supports to walk to the market each week.

Their sole role is to make people feel comfortable.

They can connect with food, recipes, farmers, friends.

Market Manager:

Connect local food support and create an ambassador network.

Connect with the slow food chapter.

Collect payments from farmers.

Keep everyone on the same page.

Event planning.

Connect with local churches, to encourage "local" potlucks. At least one ingredient from the market.

Win dinner for two:

Have an auction or raffle for dinner for two.

The winner walks with chef or farmer to pick meal.

Cooked and served for two, at farm or restaurant.

Recipe Book/Club:

Beyond that, have each farmer show one recipe a week with their food.

It's simple, Start Eating.

2009-10-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

All the farmers want is for you to enjoy their food.

The farmers don't have to do anything.

It's up to us and all we have to do is eat.

Go to the atm.

Find change in your car.

Buy eggs for breakfast.

Buy ingredients to make tacos for dinner.

Start eating today.

4:00 - 6:00 pm

Main Street Market

between Broad and Market

I'll be in Pittsburgh this week.

Next week, I'll meet anyone who's interested in the market at the market.

I'll give you a tour and introduce you to the farmers that I know.

Go make a taco!

2009-10-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Are you not sure what to do with all the "stuff" you'll find at a Farmers Market? Today, go buy a bunch of vegetables and make tacos. Sure, you'll have to supplement your recipe with grocery store products, like tortilla, rice, and beans. However, you'll find the market can supply you with most of the goodies you need.

Eggs from River Ridge Farm or SCF.
Meat from RR or SCF.
Veggies from all of the farms.

I'm making tacos tonight. Are you up for the challenge?

On another note, I missed last week. That does not mean I was not at the market or cooking. Last week I bought a chuck roast and cooked my first roast ever. It tasted amazing! I used a recipe suggested by my boss, Paul. Cooked it the night before, with salt, pepper, tomatoes, herbs de provance, and made a roasted tomato sauce to complement it. Before it was enjoyed, I put it back in the oven for another hour. If I can do it, you certainly can!

I hope that You, Me and Everyone In Between enjoys good food this week!

Start with an Egg

2009-09-23T05:34:00.001-07:00

Ever since college I've wanted to save the world! This desire has manifested itself in multiple ways. At times it was Africa or even the environment that I tried to resuscitate. Either way, I have a voice within me that shouts out loud, that whatever I'm doing must have a greater purpose. (And it should be massive and most of the time un-accomplishable.)

I started my journey to save the world, in the poorest country in Africa, and now I'm advocating small farms in East Tennessee. I want to say that I'm beginning to realize that I can have the greatest impact on what's in front of me, and change the world by changing the world I see outside my bedroom window. I say "I want to say", because it's so much easier to chase after the loftier goals, it's more sexy, so to speak. I've also got to face my temptation to look good doing good.

I suspect that if you're my age, you will face similar challenges. There are plenty of books out there stating my generations desire to save the world and that, in fact, we will actually have an impact. You may not want to save Africa or the environment like me, but I'm sure you have a desire within you to do better for our planet and it's people.

I challenge You, Me and Everyone In Between to start saving the world with an Egg. Not just any egg, obviously. Today, bring four dollars and some change to the Main Street Market and buy one dozen eggs. Your choice has many implications... 1. You're voting. Not on a ballot, but with your money, for safe healthy food in Chattanooga. 2. Local Economy. The money you spend goes directly back to the community of Chattanooga, not some far fetch community hundreds of miles away from here. 3. Environment. These eggs came from forty minutes away rather than forty hours, which means less fossil fuel wasted. 4. Africa and other poor countries. By buying local you make a choice not to support major industrial food corporations, who abuse and take advantage of poor workers with poor working conditions in our country and other countries. 5. It taste better and anyone can cook an egg!

The world's not going to change until we change. We can complain about the government or the industrial supply chain, but they're just feeding the masses what they ask for. Change starts with you, me and everyone in between and it starts right now in front of us.

Disclaimer: I still buy food from the industrial food chain. It's practically impossible not to. If together as a society, we decide to spend our money differently, I hope that in the years to come, it will be possible to live off of your local food economy, only. That would change the world.

How to use the Market

2009-09-16T06:20:00.001-07:00

I've realized that both you and me can over complicate stuff. The market's actually a very simple concept. People have been growing and exchanging food for thousands of years. Today, I feel that it's necessary that I write about how to use your local farmers market.

Go in with this mindset...
I'm not replacing a grocery store with a farmers market.
I don't have to spend a lot of money.
This is much more of a relational experience, than a shopping experience.

Simple Steps...
1. Visit your favorite ATM and take out the minimum withdrawal amount.
1.a If you don't want to visit your favorite ATM, grab whatever change you can find. (in pants pockets, between sofa cushions, under the car seat)
2. Drive, walk, bike, scooter to your local market.
3. Make one lap around the market before you spend a dime.
4. Pick one booth and strike up conversation with the farmer. Tell them, "This is my first time to the market, what do you suggest I buy with $x.xx and how do you suggest I cook it"? Chances are, this will lead to further conversation. I guarantee the farmer will exchange conversation with you.
5. Don't leave until you've spent all of your change or minimal withdrawal.

Today, I forgot my wallet and all I have is six bucks. I'll buy my standard dozen eggs from SCF. With the extra two bucks perhaps I'll buy okra or a pepper, maybe a squash.

Just go to the market and spend some money! Enjoy good food. Don't buy too much, you'll overwhelm yourself. Don't be afraid to talk to the farmers, they're actually some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

See you there!

Excuses

2009-09-09T08:29:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've found a few excuses to not eat well. I'll be extremely transparent. Rather than you accusing me of being a hypocrite, I'd like to confess first.

1. I'm too busy. I'm in a new season of life. With this season has come a fully loaded schedule. I'm working long hours. When I get home, I don't have time to cook, let alone buy groceries. I have three squash sitting in my fridge that I bought at the market 3 weeks ago. It's a shame, I was going to stuff them with tomato and cheese, then bake them!

2. No one to eat with. Because time doesn't expand as my schedule expands, I've had less time to invest in relationships. Before, I was cooking for friends frequently. Now, I'd rather not go to great lengths to cook for myself. Give me left overs or a taco from the local tienda!

3. It's expensive. Not only does it take time, but it also takes money to eat well. I want to pay off my debt, I want to cut cost in whatever way possible. And because of this, I skip a meal here or there, or I go extremely meager in my eating.

These excuses are misdirected.

1. What if eating well made me a more efficient worker or a less cranky friend? Or, my mind could solve problems better when it had the proper sources of energy?

2. Relationships are the most important thing in the world. (In my opinion) Eating a meal is an amazing venue for a relationship. Serving a friend by cooking for them, gives me life. I'm recharged in these moments of fellowship over an awesome meal. (Much more than eating, quickly, leftovers, so I can move to the next task) On top of that, life should be balanced between work and play.

3. It's an investment not an expense. Invest in your health. Build a strong foundation now so that when your older you can live better for it. You can also impart on your children healthy eating so they can live happier lives.

I'd like to repent from my unhealthy eating. I've become my own target audience. I'll write more as I press on!

For now, may You, Me & Everyone In Between enjoy good food with good people.

Stop Focusing on the Cow

2009-09-02T09:31:00.001-07:00

Photo from bossie.

There is a group of farmers in the world that believe it's more important to pay attention to their pastures than their animals grazing. I'm no expert on farming and would never pretend to understand this concept. However, I think I understand at least the surface of the concept.

If the grass is good, the cows are happy. Cows were created to eat grass. If the cows are happy eating good grass, then they're pooping on the grass. If the cows are pooping, the chickens are pecking through the poop for worms and all sorts of goodies. If the chickens are eating, then they're obviously happy and obviously pooping. If both the cows and chickens are both happy and pooping, then the grass is fertilized with the good stuff and the cycle continues. It all depends on good grass.

This farming jujitsu of sorts is metaphoric and inspires me to ask how can the concept can be applied to my life? (not so much poop though) How much of life am I spending focused on the cows when I should be focused on the grass? What is the grass?

Just a thought this week.

Welcome to Polyface Farm

2009-08-26T06:11:00.001-07:00

I've wanted to visit Polyface Farm ever since I read about it in The Omnivores Dilemma. This past weekend I had the opportunity to, while on a pilgrimage up to New Jersey for my friend Anthony's wedding. Charlottesville, VA was the halfway between Jersey and Chattanooga, so I stopped there to visit my great friends, Noel & Nafret. I knew that Polyface was close to Charlottesville, so I said to my self, why not? On my way back from Jersey, I met Noel in Swoope, VA, the home of Polyface Farm. (I should mention that I somehow got lost in the small town of Staunton, VA - it's the closest town to Swoop - I couldn't find my way out, that caused a slight delay)

In today's entry I'd like to walk you through my experience at Polyface, including the delicious meal provided by Polyface. I'll try not to be too wordy and let the pictures do the talking.

Above: Polyface sign greeting visitors. The farm is situated in the Shenandoah Valley, pretty much dislocated from everything. I don't know that I've ever been so far removed from life as I know it, in this country, like I felt driving into the far reaches of the Shenandoah out to Polyface.

Bill Keener of SCF here in Chattanooga knows Joel Salatin (the celebrity farmer/owner of Polyface). He told me that if Joel was in, which it wasn't likely, I should say hey. Turns out he was there! Joel was selling food from a small building next to the slaughter house. He wore a contagious smile along with a few dabs of blood, from killing turkey, on his cheeks. Noel, Joel and I shared brief small talk including why everything he does illegal and why twenty-somethings (my generation) have a perception that buying from a farmer is too expensive, or cooking the food is too hard.

Above: Joel sent Noel and I out to the pastures. We encountered the turkey first. They roamed a large plot of grass freely, and seemed pretty happy about that.

Above: Take note of these chickens, you'll see a cooked version later. The chickens are in these coupe like contraptions that move in rotation over the pastures. Basically, from what I understand, the chickens eat up the grass, peck through cow poop, and leave a bit of their own poop. It's all apart of the rotational farming happening at Polyface.

Above: You can see the poop left by the chickens. Fertilization!

Above: Some more birds, free roaming, along with an invention that Joel created as their coupe.

Above: Noel and I eventually came to a wooded area near the end of the farm. We stood for a few moments, then heard strange noises coming from within the wooded area. All of a sudden a pack of pigs galloped towards us, snorting. It was hilarious. I couldn't help but laugh. When I was a kid I was introduced to a pot belly pig at the local church festival. Ever since, I've wanted one. This is just one of the many pigs that greeted Noel and I.

Above: The slaughter "house"... It has no walls. Any visitor to Polyface can see the killing in progress, if they show up at the "right time". Noel and I just missed the crew killing turkeys. I'm not going to lie, I was sad that we missed the slaughter process. This, to my knowledge, is the only stage of the food preparation process that I've not experienced. I'll understand and appreciate what I eat, even more, if I witness the killing of an animal. I want to visit a local butcher shop in South Pittsburgh, TN. I'll write about my experience.

Above: Amazing country! I took this picture from my car, driving away from the farm, on my way to Charrlottesville, VA.

Above: Polyface chicken! mmmm! So good! I can still taste it! I stuffed the chicken with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and lemon - cooked at 375 for about an hour. I'll be honest, I'm much more comfortable cooking veggies. I was a bit intimidated to cook a full chicken for five other people. Luckily, my roommate, Joseph, hooked me up with solid advice. And, one of the guest is a "food architect", and coached me along the way. (I forgot about thawing the chicken. Therefore, dinner was about two hours late.) Along with the chicken, we enjoyed steamed beats, sauteed beat leaves and stems, and sauteed squash with onions and red pepper flakes. Though the meal was delayed, it still tasted incredible! (it was accompanied by great conversation) A few months ago I couldn't cook!

May You, Me and Everyone in Between enjoy good food, together with good people, from good places, like Polyface Farm!

Don't listen to your mother.

2009-08-19T06:51:00.001-07:00

Last year my friend Austin and I were sent to NYC with no cash, no cell phone, just a few layers of clothes, and a bus ticket. (One of our mentors thought it'd be fun to actually follow what's written in Mathew 10.) I'll spare you all the details, if you're interested in learning more, see link... Anyways, Austin and I were introduced to a man from Bangladesh named Joshi. He ended up being our host for the week (AKA worthy man - Mt. 11). New friends that we met in Manhattan led Austin and I to Joshi. They told us to take the train out to Queens, look for a white jeep wrangler and a Bangladeshi man. The very first thing that Joshi did, when we met him, was extend his hospitality. Aus. and I found ourselves in a neat little Bangladeshi resturaunt in some corner of Queens. Joshi picked out our food and we shared from the same plate. Joshi then told us that it is his cultures tradition to eat with their hands. And here's where I introduce the topic related to food this week... Eating with my hands, sharing the same meal with others turn out to be the most memorable meals my life.

Here are a few others that I remember...

In college, again with friends from South East Asia and from the Middle East, I had a meal during the Muslim Ramadan holiday. We all stayed up until just before sunrise and had an amazing fusion meal of from Jordan/India/Korea/Bangladesh. Right before sunrise we all shared the incredible meal together. We sat in a cricle without silverware (as far as I can recall). After we ate, we then fasted from sunrise to sunset and broke the fast together. The fast was difficult being that the scent of the food lingered on my hands throughout the day.

I've been blessed with two experiences in Sub-Saharan Africa. One in Niger and the the other in Mali. In each place, at each meal we had the option of silverware. But my friends and I were in the middle of the desert living with the Tuareg tribesmen, why use silverware? I remember eating bread made in the sand and goat that was slaughtered a few feet away from where we sat. Again, all of us, Tuareg and Americans, ate from a common table with our hands. Though we could barely understand each other, we found ways to communicate and share the wonderful experience we each other. I feel like laughter usually companies these meals as well.

I have sooo many memories of eating with my hands. Even this week, the last 5 days, I can't recall using silverware, other than buttering bread with peanut butter or cheese. I love feeling the sensation of warmth or cold and texture of the food. There's nothing like licking your fingers of the excess olive oil, egg yoke, cheese, salt and pepper. On the last two occasions where I prepared a local meal, I enjoyed the meal with my hands. Last week, my roommate and I cooked up Lamb Chops, Beats, Squash with onion and red pepper flakes, beans, and potatoes. I choose to eat with my hands and it brought me back to the previously mentioned experiences above. I think that the flavors mix on the surfaces of my finger tips to create unique tastes. As I thought about what to write today, I couldn't resist challenging ya'll to stop listening to your mother, drop your silver ware, and eat your food with your hands! (The challenge does not include burgers and fries from McDonald's). Go to your local Market!

I'll leave you with that. Next week I will write about my visit to Polyface Farm in Virginia. In the meantime, I hope that You, Me and Everyone In Between enjoys great food, together, with your hands!

Withdrawal Syndrome

2009-08-12T15:10:00.001-07:00

Weddings have forced me to drive all over the south and north east coast this summer. Don't get me wrong, I love weddings, especially the three so far this summer. Though, I will say that after missing the Main Street Market last week, I was feeling withdrawal. Of course, I was missing out on the good food during the last week. But I also missed out of the cool fellowship that occurs at the market.

Today I set out to overcome my withdrawal. Somehow I managed to get by without buying groceries this week (lots of granola, good friends who cook, and peanut butter). I had a whooping sixty dollars to spend at the market! Technically, since my budget ends on Friday, I have sixty bucks for food for the next three days! Anyways, I was ready to spend some money on some amazing food.

I did my usual, I bought some eggs and went on my rounds. I usually end up walking two rounds and shopping at each tent at least once. As usual, conversation was struck up by either the farmer or myself. Along with the conversation, I tasted an amazing yellow watermelon, cold figs, and a new taste, tomatilla. All told, by the end of my time my bags were full and I'd caught up with my good friends. I eliminated my withdrawal syndrome and spent almost fifty bucks on this market excursion!

At the market today I realized one reason why the farmers market is such a happy place. Think about an artist. An artist works hard through each aspect of the creation process. Blood, sweat, and sometime tears go into a project. An artist feels great about his or her creation when complete. But the real joy comes from sharing. Ain't that true with all aspects of life? I believe this to be true with farmers. They work with whatever nature throws at them, rain or shine. They do all that they can possibly do to reap a harvest. To some extent they only have so much control. They can do everything "right", but there's no guarantee. Each growing plant is a miracle. Sure, the farmers could keep their crops to themselves. But I think the act of sharing brings them joy. I know it certainly brings joy to me and as you walk through your market I'm sure you'll witness the joy I'm speaking of.

I encourage you to partake in the goodness of the Main Street Farmers Market! Next week I'll write about what I've done with the food found in the picture above. Until then, I hope that You, Me and Everyone In Between enjoys good food and fellowship.

The Happiest Place in Town...

2009-08-06T13:49:00.001-07:00

That's right! I declare the Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh, the happiest place in Pittsburgh. Why?

1. Libations and cheers.
Alcoholic beverages (in moderation) can make people happy. If you're not talkative, you may become talkative. You start laughing, and your worries disappear for a few moments. On top of that, every 30 - 45 minutes there's a drinking chant/cheer. The bond you form with your fellow drinkers is sure to give you a warm feeling inside. I should also mention that the sweet aroma of beer being made directly next to you is also enough to make you smile.

2. Eating together.
Though you're not eating the same dish, it feels like you're extra closer to fellow patrons. Since your closer, you may want to sneak and try your neighbors Schnitzel. I found myself eating off of my moms, dads, grandmothers, and sisters plates. We all have to eat and, inherently, I think we all have a desire to relate. The Hofbrauhous brings people around a common table to relate, give thanks, laugh, and enjoy life with good food.

3. Culture.
Though German culture is not frightening, (like going to a cafe themed on Djibouti food), it's still different enough to give you a new and unique experience. I think it helps that it is actually an authentic German chain. There are only two or three in the USA! I asked the Beer Master what he was doing and he simply stated, "I making ze beer". The Hhaus actually has authentic Deutchlanders making beer and creating a vibe! And I should also mention that there is a large amount of German descendants in the Burgh. I think that once we enter the HHaus space we inherently become more like Germans, celebrating life, people, beer, and good food.

The HHaus is enough of a reason for me to go back to Pittsburgh (on top of my family n'at). It's interesting that (in my mind) the HHaus is the happiest place in Pittsburgh. It's also ironic that it's happier than Kennywood (PGH's amusement park, which I went to the day before). I resolve and conclude that good traditional food and beer has a major part of my proclamation of Happiest Place in Pittsburgh. And.... (Drum roll please).... I think that a farmers market can also be one of the happiest places in your town for many of the same reasons as the HHaus. It's a place to relate, tell stories, laugh, eat traditional food to your region, connect, etc... Your house can be one of the happiest places on the planet if you share the joy and creation of a meal provided by your local farmer with close friends. (Don't forget local libations)

So, as I break my own tradition of writing on Wednesday (and for that matter skipping the Market, as I was en route from PGH to Chatt), I sign off with a chugging countdown in German.

eins - zwei - drei !Zopa!

Schnitzel Cordon Blue

My sis. and me. After two hefe weizen.

It cost too much!

2009-07-29T06:20:00.001-07:00

It's hump day, that means it's time to head to the Main Street Farmers Market! (Or think about going to your local market wherever you live. For you Pittsburgher's, there's one on the Northside every Friday)

Today, I'm going to to tackle one of the biggest excuses people make for not going to a farmers market. Though, before I do that I'd like to show you what happened to my purchases from last weeks Main Street Market.

The photo above shows the tastiest pork chop I've ever tasted, compliments of Sequatchie Cove Farm and the excellent grilling skills of my roommate, Joseph Shipp. The pork chops were marinated in olive oil, fresh rosemary from the garden, and garlic from River Ridge Farm. (Marinate over the duration of one tennis match.) Along with the amazing chops we roasted potatoes, beets, onions, and celeriac together with olive oil and garlic. (350 for about an hour) To top it all off we sauteed the stems and greens from the beets. And I couldn't possibly forget to mention our local beverage of choice, George Dickle Tennessee whiskey. This local meal, derived completely from the market, was nothing short of amazing. This was not due to our skills, but because of the labor of the farmers and animals. Add fellowship between good friends, and you've got a meal.

Now for this weeks topic: It costs too much to buy food from a farmers market!

I'll be very clear and transparent about my budget and spending, with the hope that it may inspire. Disclaimer: I'm a single 24 year old dude. I have no idea what shopping for a family would be like. For the sake of reality and to avoid my inherent idealism, I'm going to direct this thought toward my fellow twenty-somethings without kids.

I make $12 dollars an hour before tax. After paying taxes, rent, cell phone, car insurance, tithe, etc... I have about $400.00 to spend during a two-week period. I must mention that I have $15,000 left to pay in college debt. I want to send as much of that $400.00 to debt, rather than extraneous spending. I say this only to show you that I have to pinch my wallet as much as the next guy/girl. I maintain an active lifestyle and manage to eat lots of local food on a tight budget.

A long time ago people used to give most of the money in their budget to fresh food. Not so much anymore. This old tradition has inspired my budget. Here is what my two week budget looks like...

Grocery (or market) - $120
Fuel - $24
Restaurant - $20
Entertainment - $15
(you don't need to spend money to enjoy life)
*

If I need anything else (tooth brush, shirt, deodorant, planned trip, etc...), I add it too my budget at the beginning of my two week pay period or I save up for it.

* Most of the time I exceed my budget. I just started keeping one about 4 months ago. You've got to forgive yourself if you go over. Just make sure you have the money to spend! Budgets are as much organic as they are logical. Give yourself time to build a discipline.

I spend $40 - $50 over a two week budget period at the farmers market. I started at $20 bucks each week. Note to self: You must stop at the ATM before you go to a farmers market! Most farmers don't accept plastic.

You don't have to replace your local grocery store with your local farmers market. Think of it like a bike. Yes, a bike is an effective way to save the environment. However, it's not possible to use a bike for everything. Or, we're not ready to use a bike for everything. The same goes for the market. Start small. Go to your banks ATM and take out the minimal withdrawal amount. (Mine's twenty bucks) Take that amount and spend it on your local market.

Here are some other short tips that have worked for me:

- Eat with other people. Yes, it cost more when you're doing the cooking. Eventually, you'll have people cooking for you as well.

- Don't buy too much meat. You really don't need that much and it's expensive.

- Eat simple, local meals. (And pack a lunch) All of my meals don't look like the one above. I usually eat the same breakfast and lunch everyday. For breakfast I cook local eggs and enjoy a side of Niedlov's bread or oatmeal from bi-lo. For lunch I make myself a peanut butter sandwich with Niedlov's bread. With my sandwich I'll have carrots, cucumber or tomato from the market. Sometimes, I'll take celery and put peanut butter on it. You should know that I do shop at grocery stores, I love apples, among other things, and my market doesn't carry them.

- Pick out simple recipes for dinners and cook for the week. I cook a lentil soup. Aside from the lentils, all of the ingredients come from the market. I store the soup for dinners that I don't have time to cook for.

- Start a budget.

- Take a risk. You may be like me, I never knew how to cook. If I couldn't microwave it, I wasn't buying it. Take a risk and challenge yourself to buy something you never heard of. Ask someone at the market what they do with it.

Lastly, I will state, farmers markets can be more expensive than the grocery store. And if you're not acquainted, the market can take time to adjust to. I think you have to ask yourself, "what do I value?" I've decided that eating good food is important to me and I've manage with eat my values on a small budget. That's not to say that my values are better than yours.

My goal is that You, Me and Everyone In Between realizes the importance of and partake in eating good, healthy, local food!

Cheers!

It's actually not that painful

2009-07-22T16:03:00.001-07:00

I've been to the poorest country in the world and I live in the richest. In each place the people eat. Let's face it, we all have to eat. Even if we weren't required to, I think we'd still eat. I mean, who doesn't enjoy eating?

That is why I have selected food as the theme of You, Me & Everyone in between. (If you haven't noticed)

Each Wednesday I'll post a little note related to food.

Why Wednesday? The farmers market is on Wednesday. My goal is to encourage readers/eaters to taste something local. Again, if I can, you can.

Today, I'll write briefly about my first experiences with farmers markets.

If I were to think way back to my first experience at a farmers market, it would definitely be on the North Side of Pittsburgh, PA. (There are actually farms in and near the steel town) I remember walking with my sister and mother through a parking lot full of farmers selling their food. I don't remember what we bought, or if we even bought anything. Later in life, my dad and I would park near the market's space before Pirate or Steeler games. For some reason, each time I'd pass the spot, I'd remember the first experience with my mom and sister. Oddly enough, an image of husks of corn and tents with farmers sporting beards wearing overalls vividly pops into my mind. I also remember looking up to everyone, I was quite young.

As far as I know, my second experience was at a farmers market last year in Falls Church, VA. I experimented with vegetarianism for a few months. The market seemed like a logical place to go. I remember thinking the food was priced higher than a grocery store. At the time I was living in community with some friends and I wasn't sure I could convince them that we needed to buy food from the market. (I mean, Sam's was way cheaper) Another set back was my lack of comfort in the kitchen. I had no clue how to cook what the farmers we're selling. End of story, I never bought anything and I never went back.

Fast forward to a month or two ago. Inspired by foodies in Chattanooga and reading The Omnivores Dilemma, I went back to a farmers market, the Main Street Market in Chattanooga, TN. As I entered the market I felt a rising anxiety. What was I going to buy? More importantly, how was I going to cook it? I was either too embarrassed or too proud to ask one of the farmers. (especially in front of other people) Eventually, in my anxiety I ended up picking out $20+ dollars worth of produce. I couldn't pronounce most of it, let alone cook it. I was facing buyers remorse! How do I cook Kohl Rabi!?

Luckily, Bill Keener of SCF stopped by the design studio the next day. In private, I asked, "How do I cook this stuff"? His reply was simple, almost too simple for me. He said, "just saute or steam them"! In my mind I imagined some complicated recipe, which was scary with my limited cooking experience. It took me a few cooking experiences to stop over thinking the process and just saute or steam (or bake). I wrote about and photographed my first experience cooking food from the farmers market. Here's a link...

I just returned from the Main Street Market and here's what I have to show. Now I just buys what's different or new and figure out what to do with it later, of just ask a farmer.

Two tomatos that I've never tried before... Green Zebra and the big ole' yellow one thanks to Signal Mountain Farm.
Eggs from SCF. Produced by chickens that spend their days roaming pastures near the cattle. (A morning necessity).
Zuchini compliments of River Ridge Farm.
Celeriac (which I'm told is great roasted with beets) from Crab Tree
Garlic from Crabtree
Pork Chops from SCF
Beets (which were a first last week) from River Ridge Farm
Onions from SCF

Quick note: For each purchase I engaged the farmer/seller in a discussion about the food I was buying and how to cook it. They had no trouble answering my questions. Not once did I feel as if I was annoying them. I didn't lose my pride either. In fact, I left the market quite rejuvenated from my conversations with the high spirited folks at the market selling food. Now it's time to nourish my body with great local food from Chattanooga!

It's also time that You, Me & Everyone In Between try a local farmers market.

May you eat extremely well this week!

Never cooked beets before

2009-07-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

Baked Eggplant Sandwich
egg plant - signal mountain farm
four seed bread - niedlov's
onion - river ridge farm
tomato - crabtree

Sides
beets - river ridge farm (the greens and stem of a beet are amazing sauteed)
kale - williams Island
zucchini - river ridge
garlic: river ridge
shiitake mushrooms: sequatchie cove farm (so easy! saute with butter)

Omelet:
eggs - sequatchie cove farm (pasture raised, free roaming chickens)
kale - williams island farm
tomato - crabtree farms
shiitake - sequatchie cove farm
onion - river ridge
zucchini - river ridge
egg plant - signal mountain farm
garlic - river ridge

If I can create these two meals, (which were amazingly tasty!) then you certainly can! I used to be intimidated by the market. I thought the food required "mysterious" recipes. I mean, I'm only learning how to cook, I had no clue what to do with the stuff I was buying. I remember being very anxious as I walked the market for the first time. Eventually, I started asking the farmers for their advice. I was shocked by the simplicity. Saute, Steam, or Boil. How could it be so easy? I thought I had to follow some strange recipe on epicurious?

Once you manage to saute, steam or boil your food, you can try to make other easy recipes like omelets and baked egg plant sandwiches. For my omelet I pulled whatever I could find from the fridge. First I sauteed it all, then I put it into the omelet. A friend of mine always says, "good ingredients make for good food". I'm definitely a believer in that statement, after these two meals. You'll also come to the light, once you try out the Main St. Market (or any market around the country).

You, Me & Everyone In Between has to eat. Why not eat good?!

Main Street Farmers Market
In between Market and Broad St.
Wednesdays, 4:30 - 6:00 pm. (Get there early)
See you there!

Locawhat?

2009-05-29T08:42:00.001-07:00

I have had a great desire to write about my new found passion. What is that Passion? Well, it's for something that every human being on this planet has in common. No one's immune to it and everyone needs it. Food.

You might ask, "D.J., why is food your new passion"?

1. My current reading of The Omnivores Dilemma by Micheal Pollan. Pollan follows the food chain from beginning to end. Frightening and liberating at the same time.

2. Living in Chattanooga, Tn. Here, I've found a group of friends who cares so dearly about the food we eat and how it gets to us. That includes one of our clients at widgets & stone, Sequatchie Cove Farm. At SCF they're raising food the traditional way. (Cows on grass, no hormones, free roaming chickens and pigs.) Often I ease drop on meetings between our creative director and Bill Keener(owner of SCF). I'm so grateful that I get to glean from his wisdom of food.

3. Just being a connected person. I like to know the story behind things, whether it's a person or food.

4. Spirituality. It's said that our bodies are temples and we must take care of them. Literally, I am what I eat. If I eat junk (food loaded with additives, preservatives, and things I can't pronounce), I feel like junk. If I eat healthy food, I feel great! I'd rather chose the later and eat the food the way God created it, way back when. Think about it, the food at the farmers market isn't much different from the food that Adam and Eve enjoyed. (stolen idea from Micheal Pollan)

I'd like to share two meals with you, that I had today and yesterday. I wasn't trying to, but I became a Locavore. For the day, I became a locavore, because everything I ate was from the Chattanooga region. (Think about, all of my money went back to Chattanooga!) At the Main Street farmers market, I met the handlers of my bread, and the growers, sowers, and pickers of my Kolirabi, Radish, Kale, and Cabbage. I had stories! I knew where this food was from.

I was a bit trigger happy at the farmers market. I ended up buying a whole bunch of stuff I didn't know how to cook. (Perhaps, an omnivores dilemma?) Luckily, yesterday, Bill Keener came in and alleviated my intimidation of my food. He said, just saute it or steam it or make a salad of it.

So here it goes, my local, healthy, story filled meals. The connected persons (me), dream meal. If only I had planted and grown portions of it. (I did nibble of a bit of arugula that I'm growing at one point) Joseph (my roommate and co-worker) and I shared this meal along with great fellowship.

Napa Cabbage, Kolirabi, Niedlov's ciabatta bread, Radish, Kale

Dinner is served! Ciabatta bread toasted and served with olive oil and Joseph's grown rosemary, Sauteed kale and kolirabi greens w/ touch of lemon, cabbage salad with kolirabi and radish, steamed kolrabi, kale, cabbage, and radish.

mmmm!

Pasteur raised eggs from Williams Island Farm

Look at the color of the yoke!

Toasted Ciabatta, Pasteur raised egg, home grown rosemary, and local Chattanooga water with a touch of homegrown mint.

On top of being a locavore, I rode a bike to work today and yesterday. I'm not boasting about any of this. My hope is to encourage and inspire others to try. It's intimidating at first, but, if I can do it, you certainly can!

Cheers!

UPDATE: Drinking local beer from the Terminal Brewhouse, for lunch. Beer counts too! For those outsiders, that's lookout mt. in the background. The intersection you see is Market and Main. I'm enjoying the local beer on the Terminal's green roof.

A challenging life worth living.

2009-05-14T15:08:00.001-07:00

The recent death of the Former President of La Roche college inspired me to think about what makes ones life valued by others?

After leaving La Roche College, many people criticized Monsignor Kerr for driving La Roche college into debt. I understand there may be truth to that statement. It's no secret that La Roche college has been in the red for many years.

Now, as I witness the mourning of Monsignor Kerr's death, I only hear words of affirmation and gratitude for the many ways he's had positive influence on other peoples lives.

The reactions I've heard to Monsignor's death, or I should say his life, have instigated many thoughts in my mind. I wonder if at the end of our lives we measure, (or others measure), not so much the calculable accomplishments like a failing business or having made CEO or President. Rather, what if it was, indeed, about the lives we touched or had a positive influence on?

In my opinion, the latter is a much more challenging life to live. It means that we must put others before ourselves.

Today, I salute Monsignor Kerr. I will remember the man who lived his life trying to put others before himself. The way he lived his life has dramatically changed the course of my life and lives of many others (for the better).

Why do I do this?

2009-05-12T13:39:00.001-07:00

Recently, my neighbor in Pittsburgh told me of a development firm in Pittsburgh, PA with brilliant mission statement, "we make money slow". At widgets & stone, where I work, our mission begins with "design the right things, design the things right". These two vision statements resonate with me, especially as I wonder what the vision or purpose of You Me and Everyone in Between is? I can't help but want to steal both of those statements and make them mine! Yet, they're completely different fields than I am in. I don't plan on using the blog for my design career or to make any money.

There's something to be said about discipline, depending on the habits that it forms. I believe that you must form the right discipline for yourself. (I tend to be too far fetched) Elite marathon runners have a much different discipline than someone like me training for a half marathon. If I started where they are, I'd never get anywhere. Eventually, I'd burn out and end up upset at myself for not reaching my outlandish goals. Seth Godin writes one blog a day every day. I wish I could do that, but to tell the truth, that would not be fair to you. You'd end up reading mostly sub-par entries the would fall short of serving you. Seth can do it, I can't, right now.

I would be lying if I told you I didn't want to achieve some fame from this blog. If I'm honest, I'd tell you that I think this blog actually has some potential. But, if my blog doesn't "make it" amongst the billions of blogs out there, at least I can rest in the fact that I know that I enjoy what I am doing. I take great pleasure in the process of writing an entry every week or so. In fact, for me, it's much more than writing, it's about sharing experiences in life. I especially enjoy sharing what I glean from the incredible people I cross paths with.

My Uncle from Kansas once said, "plant seeds and pray, that's all you can do". When he first shared these words I hesitated to accept them. I was younger and thought that I had even more control over life than I do now. As I grow I begin to recognize the wisdom within his words.

If I had a mission statement or discipline for You Me and Everyone it would go like this, "To plant ideas when I have ideas".

I'll continue to write as long as I'm having fun*. You're welcome to participate. I hope you do.

*I met with a man at The Manchester Bidwell Training Center who said, "D.J., let me tell you something, never do something unless it's fun".

Handcrafted

2009-04-28T10:43:00.001-07:00

Today I write to share with you the accomplishment of one of my long time goals. Since graduating college in 2007 I've wanted to create my own thank you cards. Over the years I've created simple stationary printed from an ink jet. Usually, I run out pretty quickly. If I don't have stationary on hand, letters won't be sent. I probably owe at least thirty people thank you cards from the last three years. Sorry, if you're one of those people.

Two important events occurred in the completion process of my very own stationary.

1. Hearing Denver Moore, co-author of Same Kind of Different as Me , speak in Atlanta. Rather than describing his story, you should just buy and read the book. Anyways, humble as he is, all he said when he spoke, in front of the largest crowd to support the homeless in Atlanta's history, was "In this life we only keep what we give". I immediately knew that that quote must appear on my stationary.

2. Accomplishing a completely separate goal, learning how to letterpress. The letterpress is an amazing machine that creates a handcrafted design. I actually did not use a computer for any part of the process of completing my stationary! Hard to believe in 2009, right? I set all of the lead type (Stymie) by hand. I wanted to use Archer, but Stymie was the only organized and complete alphabet that we have at the studio. I used some French paper left over from old projects at the widgets & stone studio. All told, my stationary cost me zero dollars. I spent under seven hours setting the type and printing the cards and envelopes. Hopefully, when received, my stationary will make someone smile.

Another goal of mine is to hand write letters more often. Hopefully having 100 cards on hand will encourage letter writing. It's important to note that most of history is taken from letters. I started reading Team of Rivals about Abraham Lincoln's unique/diverse cabinet by Doris Kearns Goodwin. She found most of her information from reading letters that the men sent home to their wives.

I'm not writing for a historian 100 years from now to read. But history has inspired me to handcraft personal letters of gratitude to those who have given to me in some way. When I receive a letter amongst all my junk mail, I smile. It's a letter not asking anything of me, like the rest. In so many ways it's a celebration of a memory had. In this world of constant fear of the future, never recognizing the present, and forgetting the past, I believe it to be good practice to reflect and share what we are thankful for.

I'll be in Pittsburgh for the next week to run a half marathon with my sis and to spend time with the family. Talk to you next week!

D.J.

Mile 6: Plagued with Ideas

2009-04-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

I've dedicated this post to the big three ideas or visions that I don't know how to implement. Recently, a friend challenged me to start by picking one. To me that's like picking one child over another. I confess, if any of these are to see the light of day, I'm going to need some help. Or, I need you to tell me that none of them are worth the dip.

As you read, think about the wisdom coming from the 99% conference.

"It's not not about ideas, it's about making ideas happen".

"Reduce everything you want to do into a series of steps that you can do right now".

- Jason Randal

And away we go...

I Am The Wall: A Holy Land Project

This idea was inspired by my trip with a close friend to Israel. Simply put, I have a dream of creating a diverse network of people, who are open to understanding each other and reconciliation, on both sides of the wall that divides Israel. Typically, the wall has negative implications on both sides. What if the wall stood as an example? What if it was transformed into a beautiful metaphor? The wall stands because of there are many parts that hold it together. Using the number of networking tools, provided by the web, a group of people can form a "metaphorical" wall that stands against oppression of any kind and deadly traditions of hate that exist. Oppression, in my opinion, includes extremism and hate of another culture or religion. Not only is it important that Israelis and Palestinians connect. The world also needs to connect with the people living in the land of Israel. I envision people allowing themselves to form an opinion, not based on what the news and media depicts, but through actually interacting with a Jew or an Arab, etc...

Steps:

- Revise written vision statement

- Show vision statement to Palestinians and Israelis

Culture Within Your Own Country

Here's another social network project that I thought of last week. I thought of this because I miss the amount of diversity I encountered during my days at La Roche College. A day didn't go by where I did not interact with someone not native to US soil. I actively participated in cultures different than mine and I miss that.

So here's my idea... A social network where people of different cultures can connect specifically for the reason of learning and trying to understand each other through a cultural experience. Picture this: I want to go to a synagogue, but I'd rather know a member of the synagogue and go with them and then discuss the experience afterwards over coffee or tea. Or, I'd like to eat Ethiopian with an Ethiopian and converse about growing up in Addis Ababa. Do you catch my vision? In the end the experience awards both sides. As an American I have the pleasure of immersing myself in learning, experiencing, smelling, tasting, or listening to a new culture, and the person of the culture has a pleasure of sharing their story with pride. (I admit that the genius's at OOOOBY inspired this on as well)

Steps:

- Start visiting places in Chattanooga by myself or with friends and build relationships

- Blog about the experiences

Chattanooga, "Sprout Fund" to build interest in neighborhood specific public art.

First, you should visit The Sprout Fund website or Mural Farm.

Essentially, I love the effect that murals have had on communities in Pittsburgh and Philly. I'd love to see that same process duplicated in Chattanooga (with a Chattanoogan touch of course). I'm not entirely interest in designing a mural. However, I'm extremely interested in helping artists like Sean LaRose create beautiful work that the community can appreciate. Currently, w&s art director, Joseph Shipp, and I have a dream of a painting a mural on the back side of the studio.

Steps:

- Examine the Pittsburgh Model (and other cities like Philly)

- Write to other cities for advice

- Brainstorm with Joseph and Sean

- Pull in other advocates

- Find funding

Please feel free to criticize or volunteer to help with any of these visions. Comment below or email me.

Mile 5: Name

2009-04-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've realized that I coin people with preemptive judgments. In my world, specifically, it's been the obscure lady next door and the street preacher on the corner of Market Street and MLK. When I was first showing friends my new residence, I'd never fail to point out the strange lady next door. Or, when I'd drive down Market I'd always think in my mind, "why does the street preacher do that, is he crazy"?

Why do I place people into boxes so easily? My neighbor is much more than my initial perceptions present and the street preacher is much more than the man beating a bible in what appears to be a futile fashion. They both have stories and experiences that formed who they are. And They both have names...

Today, I went to the street preacher and asked him to tell me his story and his name. Now he's no longer the crazy street preacher, he's Sammy.

Last week I said hello to my neighbor and introduced myself. She's no longer the weird lady next door, she's my neighbor. Her name is Angie.

I challenged you, me and everyone in between to not preemptively judge others, and instead learn about others. My uncle once said, "I don't read many books but I do have a library. My books are all of the stories I've encountered from the people I've met". We must become historians of each other to understand each other. Certainly the least we can do is know one's name.

Mile 4: Go take a hike!

2009-04-06T14:32:00.001-07:00

This weekend my Brothers from Chattanooga and I hiked Mt. Laconte in the Smoky Mountain National Park. The photo above was taken 6.2 miles into the hike at 6,000 + ft. on top of Mt. Laconte.

Recently, I've made it a priority to get outside and into the woods for camping and hiking. Though, I must admit I'm not very comfortable out there, for I was raised in the city.

I feel rather vulnerable outside the city in the wilderness. Yet, for some reason I believe that it is important to make this a priority in my life.

Perhaps its breaking my routine — escaping the overwhelming bombardment of advertising and the media? Or the fresh air? Maybe it's the depth of the conversations around the fire and along the trail? Or maybe it's being reminded, as I sit at work in slight pain, of being on the trail in the wild? I wonder if its the awe I experience as I witness the majestic views? Perhaps it's because I left my comfort zone, and I grow in ways that I other wise could not in the city? Or maybe, just maybe it's that I truly feel alive in nature?

Mile 3: Gandhi Followed Jesus

2009-04-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

As I read one of Topher's latest posts, "Christians are hypocrites", I couldn't help but think of good ole Gandhi. His thoughts also come during a season where I myself think I could follow Jesus' teachings a bit better in my own life. I don't want to be a hypocrite, but often I find that I am.

The following quote comes from John Mark Ministries.

"Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most respected leaders of modern history. A Hindu, Ghandi nevertheless admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"

Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Pause and think about that...

During my senior year, friends and I would discuss and study the worlds greatest leaders through "bull sessions". Naturally, Gandhi came up. On the occasion, a friend from Calcutta, India shared his thoughts. Afterward, another friend asked if that we discuss Jesus the following week. My Hindu friend from Calcutta listened as I responded. I asked, "don't you think we may offend or drive people away"? The friend from Calcutta asked to borrow a pen and paper. He proceeded to draw a similar diagram to the one above.

My friend explained, "the world celebrates Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Gandhi". He then asked, "where do you believe that they found their inspiration"? He showed me the diagram and I was struck by the wisdom just shared with me.

Each of these great people followed Jesus and each of them changed the world. It's also interesting to note that each of them participated in different religions or denominations. Martin Luther King Jr. was a baptist, Mother Teresa was a Catholic, no body really knows what Lincoln practiced but in the book Team of Rivals the Author writes that Lincoln frequently memorized verses in the gospel, and lastly Gandhi was Hindu.

A trend appears. Jesus transcended each revolutionaries religion or denomination. To me, that is very powerful and I ask myself who or what am I focused on? My doctrine and religion? Or Jesus?

Mile 2: The Strange 'Part': Barber shop wisdom.

2009-04-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went over to the local barber shop for my bimonthly trim. One of the hardest questions posed to me is "how would you like your hair cut"? Throughout the year I've gone through many different styles. You can get a picture of how diverse my hair has been by looking through my Facebook photos. Here are a few pictures: (too bad I don't have photos of when I was young with a rat tail or steelers logo carved into the back of my head!)

Ever since I've had hair on my head, I've also had a killer calick (spelling). No matter how strong the hair gel is, my calick is always stronger. After 24 years of losing battles to the calick, I've finally found the winning strategy! Let the calick be a calick. After all these years of hiding my calick with a free buzz cut or super mega hold hair gel, I found the answer to be so simple. All I need to do is part my hair towards the left side of my head with just a tad of gel or spray.

Yesterday when I sat in the barbers chair and was asked the dreadful question once again, "How would you like your hair cut"? I told Janus, my barber, "after all these years I've figured out how my hair works". She then shared an amazing peice of wisdom with me that's applicable to life. (You know I'm always trying to slip some deep meaningful thought into each entry, here it is.) She said, "Well that's a sign of maturity, you've accepted your hair with it's calick for what it is and you can't fight it". What an amazing thought!

So today's metaphor is the calick. We all have them! Well, for sure I do. They're our natural gifts that we've had from birth (or have developed) that we constantly hide or fight. I encourage you to embrace your calick!

Mile 1

2009-04-01T15:00:00.001-07:00

My great friend Christopher Taylor recently inspired me to join him in a marathon of blog posts. That's right, 26 + blog posts in a row. Joining us in the marathon is Joseph Shipp. Over the next 26 days check out our blogs: Joseph's - Topher's - D.J.'s

Topher hasn't been the only person in my life to encourage me to tackle a marathon. My sister, Sarah, inspired me to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May. I'll start my blogathon with some marathon metaphors I'm finding in my life.

I started my training determined to finish 13.1 miles on May 3rd of 2009. That was and is still my destination. I'm training all of this time for the moment of glory when I pass through the finish line.

Pause - Let's think about thoughts from two friends of separate experiences in the wilderness hiking.

Thought 1. "Why is it that Americans hike as if they're trying to reach the top of the mountain? They never pause and enjoy their surroundings along the way. I was on a hike today for six hours that should of taken me two hours. I paused frequently to bask in the beauty that lay under the canopy of forest"
Thought 2. "Every time I hike I press forward fast with my head looking at the ground to be sure I don't trip. I always end up the first one finished and never seem to enjoy the hike as much as everyone else."
Thought 3. (me) I was on a hike last weekend. I went to Lookout Mountain to get away for a few hours. I found myself fast walking to my destination. I paused and it dawned on me, "the journey is full of many destinations that often times don't lie at the end".

Back to the Marathon Training - Yes, I am training for that day in May when I will put my body through 13.1 miles of pain. However, I've reach many destinations along the journey that I have enjoyed.

Here are a few:
•Spending time on the phone with my sister every Monday night to encourage each other.
•Joining a group of guys in my neighborhood in forming a running club.
•Eating much more healthier than ever and feeling great because of it.
•Finishing my first 5K.
•Early morning run with my friend from Birmingham while he was in town for business.
•Seeing Chattanooga from new perspectives.

•Purchasing neon green Nikes. (above)

I think my life is like training for a marathon. Often times I'm focused on the end game, when there's so much to enjoy in the moment.

Update: New Location

2009-03-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's been sooo long since I've last blogged! I'm going back to the original concept, keeping my friends and family posted on my journey.

I'll rekindle and resurrect the blog with an update on my living situation. As you may know, I migrated off of Lookout Mountain, GA to Chattanooga, TN. While going through the moving process I realized that I've moved around more than usual during the last two years. I thought it might be interesting to Google search all of the places I've stayed or lived during my lifetime. Only the paces that have had the greatest impact on my life and story are spotlighted.

Fleck Street, Pittsburgh
Born and Raised.

Wohleber Street, Reserve Township
From private to public school. From city to Suburb.

La Roche College, McCandless Township
Experimental first two years and experimental last two years. I remember the last two much better than the first two. I learned most from mistakes I made outside the classroom.

Leverkusen, Germany - School floor
My first big adventure. I learned how hard it must be to be a foreigner of an unfamiliar culture. I left determined to be a host of those unfamiliar to my culture.

Paris, France - Hostel
Visited twice on my 2nd and 3rd big adventures. Hated it Paris the first time, loved it the 2nd. I learned how to enjoy life from the Europeans. It's easy to forget — must need to travel back soon?

Mali and Niger, Africa - Saharan Desert
Lived with with the happiest people I've met who are also the poorest people I've met. I learned from the poor how to give.

Falls Church, Virginia
I learned the importance of a relationship. I lived, for the first time, outside of Pittsburgh, not knowing when I will return.

Queens, New York
A bus ticket, no money, no cell phone, no place to stay. I learned from this trip how to rely on god for provision.

Annapolis, MD
I learned how to pray.

Beit Sahur, Palestine
I learned how divided we are on this earth. Even within the comfort of our own religion.

Lookout Mtn, GA
I learned how serve.

Chattanooga, TN
What will I learn here? I guess I'll find out. When I do I will share.

I've committed to live in Chattanooga until August of 2009. That will conclude a year in the Chattanooga region. I have many thoughts for the future, including moving back home to Pittsburgh. I don't know what tomorrow will look like, let alone August? I will keep in touch through the journey.

-DJ

Happy New Blog!

2009-01-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

Greetings and Happy New Year! As you may notice, the face of You, Me and Everyone In Between has changed. Along with the new look has come an important addition. Welcome the newest collaborator, Christopher Taylor of Cumming, Georgia! You will find that Christopher shares an interest in the spirit of You, Me and Everyone In Between.

Why the addition? Well, this is an experiment in collaboration. Collaboration is counter-cultural in a world full of people who are striving for independence. This blog would like to embody the opposite. We are choosing to be dependent, attempting to reject our natural inclination to be independent and self sufficient. For the most part you won't see, "this blog written by D.J. or Christopher". Acknowledging our individual strengths and weaknesses, we are seeking to compliment and balance one another as we write together. Most of the time our culture pressures us to be the best at everything. Admitting that you're not so good at something is a sign of weakness. This is dangerously false. We need each other, especially with times as they are. We hope that by experimenting with collaboration through the simple task of blogging, we will begin to make the choice to collaborate in other aspects of our lives such as community, family, friendship, and work.

What should you expect? There are millions of inane, endlessly self-deprecating, but secretly narcissistic Blogs on the internet. Our goal, if anything, is be intentional and unapologetic as we endeavor to join hands with others, share ideas and dreams, and learn to rely on the people around us. Simply put, this Blog is here to serve you. We hope that you feel empowered, motivated, encouraged, and challenged after you read You, Me & Everyone in Between. In fact, we encourage you to write what you're thinking and feeling. We invite you to make the choice to collaborate. Start by commenting after entries. Please, let us know when you agree and disagree. We are two young idealists and we need your input, big time.

Lastly, we would like to thank you for taking the time to read this. We hope that you received something from your visit.

Let's do this together!

2008-12-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

Please make comments.

• What do you do now?
Widgets & Stone
I learn.

• Why do you do it?
The Manifesto
I graduated burnt out by design. Because of this manifesto and it's implementation, my love has rekindled.

• What are you hoping to learn?
The possibilities of User Contribution
How to Zag?
What is branding and why does everyone say they do it?
All that Seth knows
Even more from the wisdon of my boss & co-workers

• After you learn it, what are you going to do with it?
See Blog on Nov. 12

• Tell me a true story about making a change in the world.
The Bill Strickland story

• Have you overcome a Dip?
I'll be the first to admit that I have trouble knowing when the stop. I am young and I am learning.

• What astonishing thing did you do before you did what you do now.
Met my brothers and sisters in Niger
Video was presented at a dinner which we created with the collaboration of different designers, a dean, food services, people of different faith and cultures, freshmen-seniors, students, teachers, and with inspiration provided by the Nomads, called Taureg, of the Saharan Desert who taught us how to appreciate each other as brothers and sisters.

• Make a wish.
Again, See Blog on Nov. 12

• What else should I know?
Facebook Profile
Linked in Profile

Alternative MBA

2008-12-02T06:18:00.001-08:00

One of my mentors, that I've never met, is offering an alternative MBA internship with his Marketing thinking tank. I think this is an awesome opportunity for any one interested in his type of work.

For more info.

www.squidoo.com/Alternative-MBA

Let me know if you apply. I'd love to help you.

And I thought I was doing it the right way?

2008-11-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

As I read the Four Hour Work week by Tim Ferris I was inspired to write the following.

Tim Ferris introduced me to Dreamlining. Before I knew Dreamlining, I knew goal setting. Essentially, in goal setting, I would set a goal and try to achieve it. For instance, I would like to start a design collaborative. There, that's a goal. Great! But, what am I missing? Well, for one thing, how? or where? or what will it take to accomplish?

That's where dreamlining comes into play. I think of those little toy puzzles that you have to slide the pieces in a specific arrangement to see the total image. Goal setting reminds me of the puzzle before you arrange the pieces into their correct place. You know what the outcome is supposed to look like, but it's all discombobulated. Dreamlining, to me, is the imaged arranged correctly. You know where the pieces go so that you can witness the outcome and ultimately what to do next.

Here's what my goal looks like when I dreamline...

Goal: To start a design collaborative.
- Start experimenting on a regular basis with collaboration.
- Take on freelance work that requires me working with others who have different gifts than I.
- Design/Strategize I AM WALL, a campaign for Palestinians, not Palestine.
- Partner with many individuals to create a Mural on backside of W&S.
- Meet Architects, Accountants, Writers, IDs, GDs, exterior Ds, Landscape Ds, etc.. and become extremely good at keeping up with them.
- Collaborate with a writer to write even more compelling blog entries
- Ask people of all disciplines to write about themselves on my blog so that we can understand each other better.
- Ask more questions at work and involve myself in ways not expected.
- Write to CEO's of major collaboratives and ask them specific questions.
- Read more books like the Four Work Week and Tribes by Seth Godin.
- Draw up a business plan and share it for constructive criticism. Never hide anything, always share.
- Tell Everyone I know my goal.

Other goals...

Goal: Partner With Bill Strickland (Founder of Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in PGH)
- Write consistently to Mr. Strickland and ask specific questions.
- Share with Mr. Stickland my ambition to help him accomplish his goal of starting 100 centers in the US and 100 around the world.
- Share with Mr. Strickland my dream of rebuilding a hour in Manchester with the hope that young people could live there and work with the guild and Bidwell center.
- Learn more about Manchester by talking to my grandparents who lived there.
- Print a Map of Manchester and Hand it on my wall.
- Start working in similar neighboorhoods to Manchester, here in Chattanooga.
- Think about living in a bigger city before moving home to Pittsburgh.
- Research
- Sacrifice spending and begin to save money.
- Move back home to Pittsburgh, PA and live in Manchester.
- Tell Everyone I know my goal.

Goal: Travel Back to Niger to start a Taureg Cultural Archive
- Start Design Collaborative
- Partner with Bill Strickland
- Find funding to support travelers, equipment & other costs. ($100,000+)
- Learn to speak French
- Live France for a year
- Join a French Club in Chattanooga
- Utilize Free Podcasts
- Listen to french audio tapes on the way home from work.
- Completely understand the Taureg.
- Read books
- Set up a google alert
- Meet Tauregs in the US
- Tell Everyone I know my goal.

These are just a few of my goals, dreamlined. Now everyday I can work toward my goals. They're no longer in the far off distance. And they're interconnected.

I think Dreamlining could work for You, Me & Everyone In Between.

The Color Purple.

2008-11-05T04:10:00.000-08:00

I was visiting friends in Huntsville, Alabama this past weekend. As a part of my visit I campaigned for a friend of mine named Wayne Parker, who is a republican. If you've read previous entries, you know who I voted for. You might wonder, why I was campaigning for a conservative? Simple, I like Wayne.

In Huntsville, I heard a tremendous amount of bashing towards Senator Obama. I didn't argue with them, but I did have similar thoughts stored up towards Senator McCain. Instead, I started asking myself questions. Why do we have such separate opinions? How can we work together? Does it matter who's President?

As I drove north towards Chattanooga I had some time to contemplate these questions. I've lived in both the North and the South, and I've spent time abroad. I've learned how similar we actually are. What is it that separates us? As thoughts raced through my mind, I was reminded of an eastern parables.

"A number of blind men came to an elephant. Somebody told them that it was an elephant. The blind men asked, ‘What is the elephant like?’ and they began to touch its body. One of them said, ‘It is like a pillar.’ This blind man had only touched its leg. Another man said, ‘The elephant is like a husking basket.’ This person had only touched its ears. Similarly, he who touched its trunk or its belly talked of it differently. In the same way, he who has seen (America) in a particular way limits (America) to that alone and thinks that (America) is nothing else."

Conclusion:

The reality is, each of us holds a different, unique & special part of the elephant. The elephant ceases to be an elephant if any part of the elephant is eliminated. May we all recognize at this monumental slice of American and World history, that we each hold a part of the beautiful, creative, determined, mindful, steward, neighbor, and servant, that is America. Unfortunately, we are not blind and we have no excuse.

You, Me and Everyone In Between must learn it's not about the party represented by red or by blue or even green. It's about what happens when those parties combine.

For, quarreling, each to his view they cling.
Such folk see only one side of a thing.

The Road to Success is paved with Failures.

2008-10-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a friend last night about my latest dream of moving to Brooklyn, NY. I said, "you know, I'd like to go up there and try. If I fail, I have friends and family who will still love me". My friend then mentioned how he had been thinking about failure during the last week. "You know," he said, "there's not much I've failed at in my life, that I've gotten back up and tried again". He felt bad about this. You should also know, my friend has a great job and I consider him to be an amazing person. I agreed, though. I also feel, that in my short life I've set myself up to succeed. If I fail, I move on to something I can accomplish. I've mastered taking the "safe" way out.

I'm starting to think that failure is not failure at all, but the path to success. I don't mean the typical definition of success. What if success meant reaching your potential, by investing in the gifts granted to you from birth, rather than burying them? Maybe through failure you come closer to understanding what those gifts are? Perhaps, that is why there is so much to learn from our elders? They have time and experience under their belts, which nurtures wisdom.

Lately, I wonder, how could fail more? I also wonder, where am I burying my head in the sand? Where can I take a risk?

Realize, I don't mean life threatening stuff. I mean the everyday risks... Speaking up for something I care for when no one else will, confessing, approaching friends about hard to bring up topics, dreaming about the future, traveling, talking to someone I don't know, trying a new hobby, writing a blog, and the list could go on.

When have I let fear of failure prevent me from speaking, acting, doing, making, traveling, loving, listening, trying, investing, jumping?

You, Me and Everyone In Between have a choice.

I end with a cliche.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost

Learning how to share.

2008-10-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

I wish I wasn't trained to be so competitive. I wish I wasn't so independent. I wish I could share.

Does it have to do with my name? Think about it. When I design a mark, every time afterward I will think, "I did this". Or I will hope people will say, "wow, look what D.J. did". The reality is, if I am to truly serve the partner, the last thought on spectators minds should be who designed the mark.

Does it have anything to do with efficiency? I think it's faster to work independently. I don't need to make any changes because I'm not listening to anyone or working with anyone else. Less minds equal quicker work. I think I've been trained and I've accepted working independently. Throughout school we're compared individually by our grades. Group projects don't happen enough and when they do, are they truly an authentic collaboration? What if we weren't made to be so independent? What if it wasn't about being faster?

I think about me and only me. How is this design going to enhance my portfolio? How are my ideas going to get me somewhere? I want my idea picked, not his or hers.

What if I shared all of my ideas with you freely and openly? You then could criticize me, constructively of course. Perhaps you could take my ideas to a level I could never reach on my own? Perhaps, I stumbled off of the correct path and you could lead me otherwise. Perhaps, you're better at illustration, or writing, or business plans, or selling an idea, or articulation, communication, architecture, interior design, etc... What if you took my idea and made it into something I could never achieve in my wildest dreams?

Case Study:
I was asked to research, consult, and re-market the company I currently work for.
I interviewed fellow employees, current and past partners, past interns, and competitors.
What was I to do with all of the information I received?
I tried to articulate my findings. I'm not a writer.
I called my friend in Indiana and asked if she could help me. She said yes.
From all of the research I found and ideas I came up with she articulated, for me, a beautiful script for my presentation.
I presented a presentation that even in my wildest dreams I could never accomplish or dream of.
Why?
I collaborated authentically with someone with amazing skills that I don't have.
Previous Feelings: At first I thought, "I want to do this on my own." Or, "What if I don't like the new ideas." Or, "This could take longer."
Current Feelings: Although it took a bit longer, the quality outweighed reaching my personal timelines, & together we served the partner better than I could have ever imagined doing by myself.

Dream: To continue collaborating with different people with diverse skill sets to serve the partner in new and remarkable ways. I want to connect designers, writers, illustrators, lay-people, business folk, storytellers, architects, interior designers, visionaries, etc... with amazing partners with incredible visions to create remarkable activity.

That's a long way down the road, I hope in Pittsburgh. For now I'd like to learn how to share better, in Chattanooga.

By sharing, we serve each other by gifting each other with our thoughts, vulnerability, and ideas. We can help each other handle the weight. Ultimately this serves the client or partner or friend better and I feel it this all effects you, me and everyone in between.

Everyone can do it!

2008-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone can do "it".
Even your grandfather, with some help of course.
Don't be embarrassed or afraid to discuss "it".
In fact, talk to your grandparents about it, openly.
Ask that your college make it a required part of the curriculum. (Then again, to do this, would require "it")
Once educated you'll learn how to appreciate "it" and do "it" the right way.
"It's" actually a simple concept.

Let's talk about "it", the "L" word.
What do I mean? Leadership.

I think most of you are afraid, (myself included), to take leadership.
I think leadership has replaced public speaking as a Human being's number one fear, even over death.

Proof:
Why do so many Facebook groups come into existence only sit idle? "Most" people are afraid to take leadership and write on the wall or forum. We're afraid of what people will think. I know that many people after a forum or conference are loaded with thoughts. How come all of these forum and conference pages are empty? I wonder what would happen if each of us picked a group we are passionate about on Facebook and gave some leadership? Ask the group a question each day, add personal thoughts (especially ones that we're insecure about, those attract the group), meet up with the people in the group, or create a group chat or party somewhere?

Why do so many individuals come home from work unfulfilled? "Most" people are managed. We do what we are told and then we go home exhausted. We're afraid to do something without being asked. Too often we compromise.

Why do so many people have better ideas, yet let them linger in the darkness of our head, never to see the light of day. We love to vent. We love to talk about how our ideas are better than our bosses. Ok, do something then. (Again, myself included) I'm lucky, my boss is very humble. He knows that everyone has their own individual gifts and talents. He knows that he doesn't know everything. (He tells me all the time. Though, sometimes I think he does know everything.) I can propose new ideas to him very easily. I don't know if that will be so at my next job. This doesn't only go for work. How many times do we have great ideas for our neighborhood? Like a block party, flea market, gardens, and we don't do anything.

Lastly, why do we make propaganda uplifting one individual into leadership? (I admit the person I voted for has the most propaganda) It's because we depend on that one person to be our voice. Think about it though. How many people live in our country? Do you actually think one person can do it alone? NO! We need the little people, the medium people, and the big people all stepping up as leaders. Let's spread the leadership before we do anything. And no, you don't need propaganda. (A blog helps though)

What do I think leadership is?
I think it's when you do what you think and feel is right (and your passionate) to serve your family, home, fitness center, work, church, daycare, the list goes on. I'm passionate about connecting others and uplifting and inspiring people. That's why I right stuff like this. I risk putting my thoughts out here with the hope that you will challenge them and teach me (or hurt my feelings in the process).

Culprit = Failure
Erase Failure. When you're doing what's right you can never fail, especially if you're doing what you're doing to serve someone else. If you're afraid you'll lose your job, maybe you actually don't have much respect for your boss? Meaning, you think he or she would actually fire you for doing something good for the company.

Culprit = To Much Work not enough Energy
Wrong, you will gain energy from the fellowship you will receive and the feeling of achievement.

Culprit = What will others think?
Show others your vision. Help them understand it. Draw a picture. Make them excited to be apart of something.

Culprit = I'm Not a Leader.
Maybe so, but the greatest of leaders are servants. Find someone who does have a cause you are passionate about and serve them. Let me know where this takes you?

Culprit = Independence
Never do anything by yourself or without the support of some friends. Have someone spotting you in case you fall. It's okay to depend on others. The greatest leader of all time had 12.

Challenge to You, Me & Everyone In Between.
Let's say you put yourself out there, what's the worse that could happen? Imagine if you found others who share the same passion as you... What you could accomplish? I imagine lots of people would love to hear what you're thinking and they don't even know it yet.

Ideas from Seth Godin's book tribes, and Tim Ferris's book the Four Hour Work Week inspired my thoughts.
I apologize for grammatical errors. Feel free to take leadership and offer to edit my blog.
dj.trischler@gmail.com

Having fun with work.

2008-10-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I think I've found ways to enjoy my day at work more so that I would if I weren't applying the following disciplines. I learned some of the following thoughts from Tim Ferris and Seth Godin.

Don't wait for your boss to tell you what to do. Keep a list of all that you're asked to do and a list of stuff you'd like to do. Chances are you boss didn't have the time to come up with your "great" idea and she will enjoy it, as long as she doesn't have to do the work. There have been many occasions, thus far, that I've mentioned ideas and did things that my boss hasn't asked of me, and I felt better afterwards and I think he enjoyed it as well. Do something different for yourself, if anything.

Take on multiple jobs. I accomplish work much slower if I am only working on one project. I think my brain enjoys the diversity of switching gears. Lately, I've been working on jobs dealing with 401k, Printing, and the Environment.

Stop checking email. Every time an email comes in, a little red circle flashes on my dock. I'm distracted by the red circle and lose my train of thought or position. All of the time an email can wait. Only once, in the past month have I had to see an email immediately. I turned the red circle off and I only check my gmail account twice a day. This has made my work flow much smoother.

Stop receiving junk email. How many emails do you receive that you don't need to read? Think about all of the mail from Facebook, MySpace, Local Newsletters, Updates, Amazon Coupons. Their like 10% important compared to a work related note or a message from mom. I set up a separate gmail account for all of my online accounts. I called my account signupDJ@gmail.com.

Never forget a good thought. Sign up for Jott.com. You can call Jott with your ideas or thoughts and it'll record your voice into a transcript that you can find online. I check Jott every morning to see my thoughts. For the less technically advanced, by a cheap note book. The trick is, though, you have to go back to Jott and to your notebook. Your thoughts are no good if they are just written down and never looked at.

Share ideas and discuss them openly. I hit the wall all the time. I push an idea and I can't go any further. Recently, I have been working on a major project for my company. I've interviewed clients, employees, competitors, and former interns. I have so much information that I don't know what to do with it. Well, I had some ideas, but I needed input, other ideas. I sent my thoughts to a friend of mine who writes. I was so impressed with the new ideas she had. Ultimately, this helps the company I work for. But, it also helped me enjoy my work even more by sharing it with a friend. I think she's enjoyed the experience as well.

Eat lunch with someone else. Pretty simple. Talk about whatever you want or maybe just don't talk at all, just eat and get away from work!

There's so much I am learning which will come in subsequent blogs. However, I must mention one last thought. Know when to stop. For me I must leave at four. (I usually start at 7) I think we've been tricked to think more time means more productivity. I'm not so sure I think that's true. Do you? I've found the less time I spend working, the more natural work happens when I am working.

These disciplines have helped me become even more creative than before, and I love my job. I don't think that all of these are made for you and everyone in between. I would encourage you, though, to find you own ways to get through the day better. If you're having more fun, that will effect You, Me and Everyone In Between.

Who Would You Rather Work For?

2008-10-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today I received my absentee ballot. I now have to make a major decision immediately. I believe that the decision isn't as complex as most make it out to be. I believe it is rather simple. Who do I want to work for?

Before I go on I should say a few points.

1. This is the most I have participated in any election, yet, somehow I still feel uneducated and confused on the topic.

2. Both candidates have lied and will continue to lie.

3. Neither of them will fulfill the promises they've made.

4. An elected official will not end abortion in this Country. (I wish they could)

5. American's will have to work together to gain respect back from other countries, to work ourselves out of the huge dilemma that we are in, and to thrive like our inventors dreamed that we could. We will succeed because of the bright minds outside of Washington who are not afraid to take a risk. In my mind a politicians job is to empower these people, not themselves.

I am not suggesting that you don't vote. All I am suggesting is, these candidates are not nearly as important as they or You, Me and Everyone In Between make them out to be. The most important person is You. And what Senator Obama and Senator McCain are not telling you is, you are going to have to do something, make a sacrifice, otherwise, America will fail. One human being cannot save this country, or this world. It will take a community of amazing people with incredible ideas, impenetrable faith, a willingness to take a risk, and who are ready and willing to work hard and make sacrifices.

So now I pose the question, who would you rather work for?

Either way, You, Me and Everyone In Between will make sacrifices. However, together we can and will succeed. That fact, does not depend on either of the candidates being elected. I strongly think and feel that Senator Obama will help that progress and I'd rather work for him (that is why I will vote for him). However, he is not a required aspect of the formula. But you are, same with me and everyone else in between.

Vote and then do something!

What is Love?

2008-10-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last week a friend pleasantly reminded me of what love is...

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Whenever I am anything but patient, I am not permeating love.

Whenever I am not kind to others, I am not giving to my fellow brother or sister in love.

When I envy, boast or I am proud, I am doing for my own good and not of another, which is not love.

I personally need to examine all of these, however, the red highlighted words I need the most work on.

When I'm not patient, easily angered, or self-seeking during the next week, I'd like to stop what I'm doing and think, how could I do what I am doing with love?

Don't you think this could effect You, Me and Everyone In Between?

What are you hungry for?

2008-10-03T09:15:00.001-07:00

Picture this: Your stomach starts making noise. You feel a tingle in your body. Weakness sets in.

This is what happens when you feel hungry. Your body tells you through different types of messages in it's attempt to communicate to you. I would bet that none of us ever think we are hungry. We only feel hungry.

I propose that hunger is like our purpose. Like hunger, purpose is a feeling. When we are not walking in our purpose our body starts to tingle with anxiety, a head ache might set in, and you might even feel weak. However, walking within our purpose is quite the opposite. For me, when I know I am doing what God created me to do, I feel similar to how I feel after a good steak. It's an indescribable sensation through out my body.

I challenge myself to stop thinking and feeling for my purpose. Listen to the gut instinct, and almost every time, I sit in retrospect and say, "dang, it was right!"

I think we're all fasting. (well most of us) Quench your palette! Feed your hunger for life! As you sit and read this, take a moment and listen to your gut! What is it telling you to do? If you're dreaming of becoming a nurse, feed your desire. If you've got headaches from working or you feel weak when you get home, take inventory! Find out what you're doing throughout the day that drains you. You see, our purposes should be life giving.

Now, one might say, "D.J., I love what I do, but I can still get tired at the end of the day." Well, I would say, I love steak, but if I eat too much I feel tired and worthless. Define how much is too much! Too much of a good thing is never good. Step away from your purpose and walk outside. Have lunch with a friend. Read the news. Search Flicker. Take a sabbatical.

Now stop... Remember I am a very idealistic person. All of this sounds great, but it's hard. It takes time to discern what it is your gut is feeling. Just like a chef experiments to perfect the taste of his finest item, so to must we try new things to find our purpose. Never settle for less. Keep learning about you, about others, about the world. There are no formulas.

That's it. That's all I got today.

This post was inspired by thoughts from Seth Godin, Rob Bell and Andy Rutledge. I look to them for advice and inspiration. They are much better people than I. Their links are provided on the right hand side of my blog.

Entry edited by Brandon Brown.

Update

2008-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite a long time since I've wrote and you've read. Sure, I have plenty to say and tell you. Rather than waste your whole afternoon, here's a few things I'm doing, learning and thinking about.

Doing:

I moved to Chattanooga, TN after I spent the majority of the summer living in a sorority house with 30+ college students. Now, I'm even further below the Mason Dixon line pursuing my field of study, design. I live with my good friend Brandon Brown. We live on top of Lookout Mountain, technically, live in Georgia. A wonderful lady, who lives all by her self in an enormous house, asked Brandon and I to live in the basement apartment. Brandon and I witness some of the most incredible sunsets from our kitchen window.

The primary reason I found interest in Chattanooga was a small design studio called, Widgets and Stone, who I now intern/apprentice for. The most attractive aspect of Widget's is not their design, which is stunning. Their approach is what gained my attention. Widget's only designs for people who inspire them. They treat their clients like people. I've actually seen them turn down clients because it they would of taken on the job it would of alienated one current client. That's taboo in a field where the dollar sign rules. Behind the mask of widgets and stone lie strong values founded in serving ones neighbor. Find out more... www.widgetsandstone.com

After work, life seems to begin, not stop. Brandon and I are living together with the intention of becoming better people. While living with each other we are learning new ways of serving our neighbor, forgiving one another, encouraging each other in our individual pursuits, establishing open communication, and much more.

Learning:

All of the above!

At work I am learning how to motivate myself and take my own initiative with out being told exactly what to do. Most of the time I am given a task and, usually, I have to figure out how to accomplish it. I like this style of learning/training. For instance, the first day I was given the task or researching, consulting, and marketing Widgets and Stone. Instead of asking how to do it, I just jumped in. For me the project has looked like many one on one meetings with clients, employees, past interns, and citizens of Chattanooga. I encourage anyone who interns to read A Message to Garcia. Questions are great when the the person who is asking is served, a long with the person sharing.

I'm learning how to eat slower and enjoy the taste.

I'm trying to learn how to become a better listener.

I would like to learn how to serve others better. Interning, living with an older lady, and living with a room mate have presented serving opportunities. (Could be doing a better job)

Thinking about:

Joseph (Advisor and co-worker) and I are in the beginning stages of creating a mural outside of our office. I'd love for our mural to help encourage more murals to follow. We've connected with the local Mural Guy in town and he's more than willing to help us. We're also trying help him and his vision of Chattanooga becoming a mural friendly city. (like Pittsburgh).

Brandon and I are taking photos at Joseph's girlfriend's sister's wedding next weekend. Well, I should say Brandon will be taking the good photos. I'm there strictly for encouragement. This will be fun though to take on a project as a team.

This weekend Brandon and I are traveling to Nashville to visit some friend I made during my nine month internship.

Well, talk to you soon.

D.J.

Have I learned anything this year?

2008-05-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last night [Tuesday 20 May 2008] was the graduation celebration of the intern year. Can you believe it? I'm done! I survived nine months of rigorous manhood training in the name of Jesus. At some point I'd like to review my blog and read my thoughts throughout the year. I've been fortunate to have experienced a number of awesome things. I've been to NYC and back on only four dollars. I've designed in both NYC and Palestine! I've traveled through the night from Kansas City to Washington and was greeted by a spectacular sunrise in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia. I've climbed to the top of many mountains on different continents. I've pulled a tick from my arm pit. With seven other guys I was in my first real car accident on the state line of Missouri and Kansas. A few weeks later I caused my first accident and blamed it on the guy in the back seat who passed terrible gas. Ohhh there have been many experiences this year. Not even a blog could contain all of them! I truly experienced You, Me and everyone in between. From the President of the USA (Well, I heard him speak), to refugees in Bethlehem, to my very own family and friends back home. This year would not be this year if it were not for everyone in between.

Now I ask myself, "What the heck have I learned"? Since most of you could not attend the graduation, I figured I'd share a piece with you. Each of the interns were asked to answer this question. I will share my response with you.

I decided to take a different route then I would have usually taken. Normally I would of come up with a normal speech collecting some of my thoughts on the year. However, my experience in Palestine weighed on my heart. I completely burnt out while in Palestine. I exhausted myself. During that time I began to discover more of who I am. It was a humbling state for me. Normally, I am a people pleaser, not so during a burn out. I also realized that throughout the internship and the latest portions of my life, I've been trying to achieve perfection. For those of you who don't know, this is impossible. This mentality reflected my outlook on myself and expectations of others. What I finally concluded was, we are imperfect and due to that reality we have to live with ourselves in both our weaknesses and strengths. I would be fool to think I can live only in my strengths. As I found out in Palestine, our weaknesses eventually catch up to us. So what's the solution? Well, for me it's been tough. I've found that I need to be honest with myself most importantly. In regard to my relationship with God, I also need to be honest. I've begun to honestly turn my weaknesses or sin over to God. I've also accepted that I don't always believe. By turning that over to God, that's helped my unbelief. I think as religious people in general, whether Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu etc... it's easy to focus on what's great in our lives. We make rules that prevent us from sinning. So when we do sin it's look down upon. There's a tendency to stair away from the struggles in life. When in reality, in faith that is where we need to be truthful and accepting. I don't want to hide my weaknesses. I recognize that you definitely have weaknesses, as do I. Why not help each other out? I've found freedom during the past two weeks just by being honest with myself, others and God. Why does any of this matter? Well, I have to live with myself for the next who knows how many years. In preparing for the rest of my life I came up with a set of statements I would like to follow. I wrote the list as I sat, burnt out, on top of the roof of my home in Palestine. This list has become the "What did I learn this year list".

Remember these are for me. I will most likely fail to follow them. I'd like to try though.

1. Please learn how to accept exactly who you are... A sinner. Do not hide that. As Jesus said, hide you the good that you do. Humble yourself by knowing your weak.

2. Please learn about one's feelings before judging them. Just ask and do not delay.

3. Please take time from your day to be by yourself. Whether extrovert of introvert, we need time to ourself to reflect and energize. Even the Lord went to the mountain to be by himself.

4. Please love people more than you love your doctrine or religion. Jesus' greatest commandment.

5. Please do not concentrate on making others love you. Concentrate on loving others.

6. Please do not concentrate on pleasing others. You will lie. Please do not lie.

7. Please remember that nothing of yours you own. God has gifted you with your wealth and accomplishments. Please share them freely and frequently.

8. Please visit the mountains often. You will witness God.

9. Please travel often. Remember that it is the people and nature that are the most important tourist attraction.

10. Please talk to people who are wiser than you are. Talk to your elders and find mentors.

11. Please remember that you don't win an argument. You resolve a problem and build unity. With a mentality of winning and losing, no one wins.

12. Please play Soccer.

13. Please spend time with people who make sacrifices. The poor, refugees, the oppressed. Please learn how to make sacrifices in your like. Learn how to take risks. You'll learn more about god during these times then any other time.

14. Please laugh, especially at yourself.

15. Please do not regret. The only regret that I have is that I regret.

16. Please encourage your brothers and sisters in their pursuits.

17. Please remember that you become great by becoming humble. Don't try to be great by being humble. Let it happen, don't force it. Please listen to others who you trust.

18. Please spend time with children.

19. Please remember to smile. It is universally recognized, so is the frown.

20. Please never try to be the leader.

Week 2 in Palestine

2008-05-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Sorry for the delay. By the end of the day I am often too tired to write. Or there is just too much to write and I don't know where to begin.

Update: Since last post I've...

Celebrated Easter... Again. Haha! More Easter eggs for me.

Travelled to the North area, the Sea of Galilee. I went swimming near the location that Jesus walked on Water. I also witnessed a baptism on the river Jordan near the location that John the Baptist Baptized Jesus. On the way I saw Mt. Tabor where the transfiguration occurred.

Travelled to Hebron, the Burial place of Abraham and the fam. This city was the most divided that I've seen thus far. Israelis live on top of the Palestinians. The Abrahami Mosque, which is above the site where Abraham was buried, is now divided. One side is a Mosque and the other a Synagogue. One another cannot see each other.

One day I decided to take a walk to the top of the mountain near my house. I was tired and needed alone time. I followed the wind and ended up at the home of a Beautiful Family. They offered me tea, coffee, peanuts, and Hookah. I played soccer with the kids. The view from the top of the hill was incredible. The sun was setting while I sat on the front porch with my new friend. Most of the time when I walk I am invited in to someones house for tea. Even though I am a complete stranger.

For three days last week Austin and I stayed in a refugee camp called Azza. The people of the camp once lived in villages elsewhere. Somehow during 1968 or 1948 when Israel took over they left their homes and now are refugees. The camps are close quarters. If I were in a place like this back home, I might feel unsafe. Here I don't. Austin and I stayed with a Muslim family. I since that the non-Muslims here look down on the Muslims. I felt otherwise. Austin and I were treated immaculately. We were never hungry. Most of them did not speak English. It's interesting to meet guys our age and see how they take American culture from the TV. Generally Arabs are very strict. Obviously American television is not. We played soccer with the neighborhood kids. I had one of the boys draw sketches in my sketchbook. The drawings weren't very happy. They conveyed the open air prison feeling that Palestinians share.

I've done some designs for a local organization. They needed help with a website design. I've had fun doing that. Plus, I can now say I've designed in Palestine. It's been nice to actually experience Palestine and design the site. I've had an extra keen eye for the environment so that I may be inspired. Art is everywhere here. Whether its the beautifully church that represents where Jesus was born, or the graffiti on the walls, Palestine is an open air museum. I've also picked up drawing. I love to draw mosques for some reason. And of course, I've taken hundreds of photos.

Thoughts:

I can't stand checkpoints. They're like airport security.

At this point I reached a tired phase. Last week I felt overwhelmed emotionally and physically. We've hear so many different stories. Not just from Palestinians either. Either way, most of the kids we talked to don't have dreams. As an American it is easy for me to think, "what would I do if I lived here?" When I hear each of the kids say they have no hope, I disagree. It's hard though to disagree and back it up when I come from America. We really do have freedom.

Father of all Monotheistic Religion = Abraham
Monotheistic Religions = Judaism + Christianity + Islam
So we are all like cousins. It's in the bible. Yet in this land, and for the most part, all lands, we are divided by man made customs and traditions. If we celebrate the same God, why then, do we not get along? Even the christian churches are devided by denomination. For instance, the Nativity church where Jesus is traditionally to be born, it is devided into a Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Asyrian sections. This land is devided. I have many more thoughts about this, but they are for my journal.

I'm learning much about myself as I travel with Austin. I'm learning to balance my extroverted self with the much needed introverted time I need. As Jesus walked to the mountain to get away from people, I too need to do that. I'm thankful for Austin as a travel companion. It's far greater to share stories with a bro. than go at it alone.

Please continue to pray for peace here. It's not one side or another. As I examine the Bible here I realize that we really are brothers and sisters. We are fighting over land that holy people walked on. I know, I've seen it, most of the places are marked by a mosque or church. Would god really want us fighting over land? Is our home not heaven? Maybe that's far fetched. I have trouble believing that even though I write it. I want this to be true. I want other people to believe what I believe. I am guilty of the same sin on a smaller scale.

My next post will cover Austin and my trip to Jerusalem. We walked the traditional stations of the cross. Visited the dome on the rock. And the rest of the places Jesus visited.

I can't believe I'm here.

Peace.

DJ

Welcome to Palestine

2008-04-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Friends, Family and everyone who finds their way to this blog, that I never update. As you may know, I am in Palestine. First I should tell you that I am safe. I have had no harm and felt not one ounce of fear since my arrival. The people here are extremely friendly.

Tonight a shop owner invited Austin and I in to visit. He shared with Austin and I two drinks. We talked about life in Bethlehem. His son sat nearby watching a cartoon on the TV. Most of the items are done in town. They are olive wood figures of christian people. Olive carving is one of the main businesses in town.

This afternoon we visited a family living in a village between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Their house was demolished twice before. The wall separating Palestine and Israel threatens their land. They are a beautiful family. Mom and Dad and three boys. The boys and dad work in construction when there is work. I asked how they can have faith after they lost their house twice. They said, "This is god testing us, we must continue to have faith". They knew more about the US election than I. I told them I was from PA and they said, "Obama lost!". I asked the mom if shes dreams? She said she dreams of a time of peace between Israel and Palestine where Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Hindus can live together.

Last night a new friend asked me if I love Palestine? I said yes. He asked why? I said because the people are friendly and loving. He said, no, you love Palestine because you can go places. He then said, I can't leave Bethlehem without going through a checkpoint. My friend is about 10 years old.

I've walked through two refugee camps. Some people can see across the wall to where they used to live. The children are beautiful. They smile and laugh.

As Austin and I walk the streets, people smile and wave and tell us, " You are welcome here!"

My host family loves me. My host mom now calls me here son. Her boys are like brothers I've never had.

Last night Austin and I went to a birthday party of two sisters and a brother at the local orphanage. You should see these kids.

After the party, Austin and I walked through my neighborhood. My neighbors invited us to tea. We sat there for a half hour and chatted about life. Each of them have kids in the states, studying or working.

Today Austin and I went to a Peaceful non-violent demonstration on land where the wall will be built. It reminded me of MLK jr. or Gandhi's movement.

This weekend I will celebrate with my family the easter holiday. Here they celebrate on a more accurate calendar, the death and resurection of Jesus.

I've learned that I knew little of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. What I hear on the news outweighs all of the great stories I could tell. However, the stories we hear on the news are amplified. I thought, before, that Palestinians were bad. I thought they were only Muslim. I didn't know that a wall separated Palestine from Israel. I thought I wouldn't be safe. Maybe you think similarly to how I did?

Since my arrival I've learned otherwise. I know that cnn, foxnews and etc... speak of dangerous acts in the west bank. The embassy does not encourage travel here either. However, I want to tell you that everyone I've met wants peace. Muslims and Christians live together here. Obviously they have their differences. Yet, they see that they share the same God. Every Palestinian I've met smiles. I've been safe. In fact I feel as if I live here now. I walk where I want to without fear. I'm stunned by their faith. Each person has a love for god. Because of their faith they do not hate. I can't imagine that level of faith. Even in the refugee camp or in a small house that sits on land where two house were previously destroyed, they smile and look above. They have every reason to hate... but they don't.

I've only witnessed one side of the situation. Soon I will travel to Israel and see that country.

I am on a faith journey, not a political. I could easily find myself caught up in the politics of the matter. I could easily miss what's real inside the peoples hearts. Spiritually, these people love god and love the others strongly. At this time, I can only do that in return.

I ask that you pray for these people. These are our brothers and sisters.

Stay tuned. I will try to keep you posted.

Peace and Love,

DJ

And It was good!

2008-01-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings! I hope this blog finds you all well. Have you enjoyed the entrance on the New Year thus far?

Life for me has been enjoyable. As I mentioned in my recent post, Noel and I spent the first week in the office. Each day we attempted to contact each of the students attending the morning prayer. Noel and I enjoyed this time together. We look forward to meeting the students in person. Every student at the prayer will know who Noel and I are. I secretly enjoy that.

We successfully scheduled a breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day we were in the office. Our goal was to make the most of our time. I think we accomplished that. My favorite time was when Noel and I cooked a BBQ dinner for four of our friends. The evening also included free ice cream from a friend who works at a Local shop. We ended the night with cigars on our screened in porch. Nothing like good food, good conversations and semi good cigars.

As you may have experienced, the weather has been terrific. I had my bike out Sunday through Thursday. There are some great rides around here.

On Thursday, Noel and I had breakfast at a local New Zealand Cafe with our friend. I expressed interest in hiking and camping. I've felt like other than my trips to Africa, I've been slacking in the outdoors experiences. Our friend helped me pursue this dream. This weekend Wilkes, our friend and I ventured into the Shenandoah Valley to camp.

In order to get to our trail we had to travel along Skyline Drive. Over Christmas break I browsed a book that claimed Skyline Drive is one of the best road trip destinations in the country. I agree completely with them. I don't have the vocabulary to describe the scenery along the drive. It was good! Our destination was 34 miles away from the entrance of the road. We gradually immersed ourselves into the mountains. There were a dozen over looks/scenic views. At each you could see as far as the eye could to the horizon line. Some displayed valleys with farms and houses. Others, just mountains. I love how you can see the depth of the mountains. You can see how they go up like steps in size and in value. I remember learning about this in drawing and painting class. I think I enjoy the mountains more than any other location in the environment.

We hiked just over 2 miles to our back woods camp site. We were not alone, however. A small waterfall continuously spilled water beside us. A tent was not necessary due to a small cavern nearby. Rocks formed all around us. We found our site just as darkness crept in.

Our evening was full of great food and great conversation. Our friend cooked chicken, noodles and beans for Wilkes and I. I was about to thank our friend for all he has done for us when he interrupted me. He said, "I am not you host. God provided for us, for he is our host this evening." I accepted this idea. After dinner we moved to a cave we found earlier. The cave led us under the waterfall. We arrived beside the falls. There we sat and smoked tobacco from a pipe. I felt like I was apart of the Dead Poets Society. Our friend pulled another God one liner. He said, "Remember in Genesis when God created the waters? What did he say afterwards?" God said, "It was Good." My insecurity of not being able to describe the scenery was destroyed. Too many times I try to heap up a bunch of words. When God only said, "it was good."

We continued to have great conversation. Most pertinent was the idea of Prayer. Lately my thoughts have been filled with this topic. Being in the woods encourages thoughts and prayer. Theres a freedom found. With no schedule, no phone, no email, no work, the mind can settle. I am learning that prayer can follow me anywhere I go. Not every setting can provide such inspiration as the woods. Yet, I think it's possible. Our conversation ended with the shared stories of the power of prayer. I think we can all think of times we counted on prayer or meditation. Too many time I go too long without an escape like this. Sometimes it can be as simple as biking to clear my mind of life's everyday challenges.

We slept with out a tent at the entrance of our cave. We went to bed thinking of the many people who have shared this same spot with us over the years.

The morning brought light to the darkness. Before we could only imagine what the scenery around us looked like. The sun crept in the sky bringing a surprising warmth for January. I spent the morning running around and climbing rocks. I felt like a kid again. . Again, our friend cooked. We had oatmeal and Canadian bacon. We hiked out of the woods at about noon. On the way home we enjoyed the view, again. It was good.

All of this beauty lies 60 miles from our Capital.

When I was about to get in the shower, I was stretching my arm in front of the mirror. I saw a dark spot in my arm pit. I knew that I had not grown a new mole. Immediately I cursed and knew what it was. I had a tick. There's two extreme fears that I have. Ticks and Jelly Fish. Surprisingly I was calm. I called my good friend Brandon and he talked me through it.

What else I'm doing...
•Re-designing a logo for a coffee shop in Chattanooga, Tn. I met a designer there and we've continued to communicate about once a month
•Reading an awesome book about the Nomads in Australia
•Preparing for my trip to Kansas/Nebraska
•Thinking much about Prayer
•Dreaming about the time after the internship

I'm thankful that I can share another week of my life with you.

D.J.

Greetings 2008

2008-01-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I'm back in Virginia after a much needed break in the greatest city with my amazing family and friends. For those of you I saw over break, it was great to catch up and spend some time. Sorry if I missed you. As always, I left Pittsburgh realizing how much I love the place.

This was my first long break from the internship. It happened to be the midpoint as well. I figured this would be a good time to let you know what you could expect over the next five months. Not much has happened since I arrived in Falls Church. However, we have many exciting adventures planned.

Noel and I will spend the next week working with the giant prayer gathering. We are calling each of the students attending. I've enjoyed the process so far. I have friends attending so I get a chance to catch up with them. Noel and I are also planning college visits.

On the 18th of January, Noel, Wilkes and I are departing for Kansas City in route to Nebraska. We are meeting the Kansas Interns and a few other friends in Kansas. From there we will road trip up to Nebraska for a mens retreat. I'm hoping to see my Uncle Ray and his family in Kansas. He only lives 30 minutes from where we will be staying. We're also traveling with a pair of Australians and a few other friends. Together we should have a blast. I'm anticipating shenanigans.

The first week of February comes along with morning prayer gathering. There will be 3000 people attending this event. The attendees will represent all parts of this county and the world. This is an amazing event. I've met great friends at this event. Even now I continue to keep in touch with good friends in Alabama, DC, and Connecticut. People of all religions, races, nationalities attend. If you know me, you know I love this kind of thing. Hopefully a good friend from New York will be attending the event. He took care of Tyler and I while we stayed last month. It would be the least we could do for him and all he and his church did for us while in New York.

I'm not sure what we will be doing after the prayer gathering. I assume we will follow up with all of the students we meet. Usually they invite potential interns to gathering. We'll keep up with them and mentor them. There are other little events schedule.

We will prepare for our international visit in April. For three weeks we will spend time in another country with a friends. I'm not sure where we are going yet. I'm sure we will find out closer to the time of departure. I would love to go to the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia, or Somewhere in Africa. I know thats just about every continent. I won't be disappointed. Wherever I go I will enjoy my time. The people we visit make the trip.

After the trip we have about 3 weeks left in the internship. Most of that time will be spent preparing for the "real world". There might also be plans for an outdoor trip in the workings.

I'm really looking forward to the next half of the internship. I've already learned so much and I can't wait to learn more. Each day is an adventure. I'm sorry if I have been slacking on the updates. I don't have a new years resolution. But if I did, it would be to update my blog once a week. I don't want to make any promises. I'd also like to take more photos. People like photos.

Thanks to everyone who supports me with your prayers and gifts (From Christmas and birthday). I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and week.

D.J.

To that someone special

2007-12-04T04:40:00.000-08:00

Monday: Traffic Signs of God

2007-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Stepping down from the bus my heart accelerated. Questions filled my mind. Where do we go? What do we say? How do Tyler and I hear the lord amidst all of the noise of New York? Following the traffic signs was the only logical thing we could think of. Yes, we followed the walk signs. If the signal flashed a red hand we turned towards the direction of an illuminated human figure. Eventually walked to and through time square. Along the way we passed Times Square Church. The signals pointed Tyler and I away from the building. This was very hard for me. But for some reason we felt like we should fallow the signs. Eventually we walked all the way to Central Park. At this point we had no idea what we were doing. I felt emotional. We had no place to stay and not yet had we found a lead. From the get go we were looking for a bench to pray. Near Central Park we found a bus stop with a bench. At this point we sat and prayed. Tyler felt like we should walk to 42nd street. We were at 59th street we decided to walk back. Half way there Tyler was feeling like we needed to go to 47th. I knew that St. Patrick’s Cathedral was near 47th. We found ourselves in awe of the cathedrals structure. Tyler and I assumed it would be hard to find what we were looking for in such a touristy church. Outside the church we re-read the passage. Mathew reminded us that we were to inquire the city’s people to find a worthy man. Perhaps we should stop looking for the traffics signs of God and ask the people of New York. Long story short… First we went to a catholic church near the UN. Joanne led us to Harold at the Franciscan Friary across Manhattan. Both helped our moral by encouraging us. Neither offered a place to stay. We weren’t giving up yet. It started to get dark. Instead of going to a hostel for the night we decided to try Times Square church. We said a brief prayer as we approached the doors of Times Square Church. The inside was dark. The doors were locked. As I pulled my hand from the doorknob a women spoke from behind. She said service is at seven on Tuesdays. No one in NYC had approached us until this point. Somehow I knew she was our guardian angel. Tyler and I told her what we were doing and she was excited. Her name was Denise. She works in ministry in NYC. Again, she was our angel. She led us to the St. Paul Mission. Ray answered. He told us that they were full of volunteers. Denise lives near the Salvation Army. We walked by her apartment on the way there. Just before we got to the Salvation Army we ran into a friend of Denise’s. His name is Bradford. Bradford was hosting is life long friend from Canada, Sean. Denise and Bradford worked in ministry together. She asked if had any ideas from us. Bradford suggested the Bowery Mission. He also mentioned that he was going to The Haven later that evening. The Haven is a place for the arts community that strives to reflect Jesus in the Culture. There was one problem however. We had no place to stay. The Salvation Army had nothing for us. At that moment Denise offered us her couch. Tyler and I felt awkward staying with a female. However, this did allow us the freedom to go the Haven. We hoped to find a place to stay with a guy there. We were so excited that we had an offer! In order to celebrate we were going to buy some food and a metro ticket to get to the Haven Service. We never bought food but we did ride the metro a few stops to the church. (In retrospect we could of walked) We felt the Lord’s love so much at this point. So many times during the day we thought of giving up. I felt like crying in defeat at moments. Now we were in a church with young professional artist from NYC. We were joining in with them in celebration of the lord. If we didn’t find a place to stay we could go back to Denise’s. We called this period of time our spiritual rejuvenation. Before the service we met Bradford and his friend Sean. He introduced us to Caleb. Caleb was to become our new host for the evening. They invited us into their small group that evening. We sang our hearts out that evening. Never have a felt so happy. I felt like I could accomplish anything at that moment. There was a full band to lead the celebration. For the evening’s inspiration James Macklin of the Bowery Mission spoke. He is a former junky turned homeless, turned head of communications. He was very motivating. We then entered the small group time. Tyler and I joined Caleb, Bradford, Sean, Jenn, Ethan, and a few others. The topic of discussion was relevance. How much relevance are we going to give God in our lives? We left the Haven with Caleb. Our destination became Brooklyn. Before getting on the Subway we walked with Arlan, Jenn and Caleb to Whole Foods and Caleb bought some chicken. Arlan, Caleb and a bunch of other friends moved to New York over the past two years. They are from various places in the south. They decide as a group that they were going to move to the heart of culture, New York. If their ministry could work here it would spread like anything else does from the City. For now they all live near each other and have intentional relationships. Caleb is married and has a baby boy. His wife cooked us a pasta dish and we all had great conversation. In the middle of the dinner Chris knocked on the door. He is a friend of Caleb and rooms with Arlan. He was just robbed by a hoodlum with a knife. The kid put the knife to Chris’s neck. The way that Caleb treated the situation was a sign of the amazing community the group of friends are forming. Tyler and I slept in the living room that evening. Their dog Cooper kept us company. We both went to bed nourished by food and amazing witness of Christ we had during the days events.

NEW YORK NEW YORK

2007-11-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow at 10:00am I leave for New York City. I will return the following Saturday. Tyler and I are traveling together. I will have, for the most part, only the clothes on my back and 300$ between Tyler and I. Our trip is inspired by both Mathew 10: 1 - 20 and Mark 6: 7 - 13.

If we haven't found a safe place to stay by dusk we may use a credit card and stay at a hostile. However, the mission is for us to rely on something much more powerful than a credit card. I picture Tyler and I walking into a church or ministry and telling them our purpose. (read the passages) Hopefully someone will accept us into their lives for a week. In return we will serve their poor.

I'm sorry if that sounds like I have expectations. The reality is, I have no clue whats in store for me. All I can do is pray that I will listen to where the Lord tells Tyler and I to go. All you can do is pray for us is pray that we will have the greatest time of our lives in New York.

On another note... This week was especially exciting. My rents were in town! I will try to update you another time. For now I must prepare for my new adventure. Stay tuned! Don't Worry! I'll be safe. "I am about to make a brand new start of it! Right there in old NEW YORK! If I can make it there you know I'm going to make it just about anywhere! NEW YORK - NEW YORK!" (Frank Sinatra)

Pray that Tyler and I let the Lord lead us. It will be easy for Tyler and I to forge our own path. We want to follow the lord.

Much Love!

D.J.

Ride the Chattanooga Choo Choo

2007-11-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Tennessee

The past four days were spent in my new favorite city. Those who are close to me know that every city I visit soon becomes my favorite city. I thought I should add that disclaimer. The interns and I traveled to the great city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Specifically we spent our time on Lookout Mountain just across the Georgia Border. We had wonderful hosts.Thus far, I would say this was the best time spent during the internship. They are both deep thinking people. Each celebrates the arts and loves the earth. I understand them because they use metaphors and literal examples to display what they are teaching. They also love soccer! Our hosts have six children and they live up on look out mountain. Their neighborhood consists of their brothers and sisters, cousins and parents.

Our first experience with our hosts was a giant dinner with the family. We opened our mouths to assortments of cheeses, meats, fruits and vegetables. Our main course was a selection of four soups. The discussion was the most delicious entrée. I am starting to realize how important the meal is. Not only for our health, but our minds as well. I can’t see eating a meal by myself. The found is secondary to the knowledge you can gain by sharing a conversation with someone or some people.

Artists surrounded me during the week in the mountains of Chattanooga. I met our host's brother in law. He is a graphic designer in town. I was awe struck by his work. I really think that he is playing a direct role in the revival of Chattanooga. This was very inspiring to me. As you may know I go in all sort of directions. One day I want to design, the next I want to run for congress. Seeing how his design changed the city allowed me to see art in a new perspective. I realized that I might have the gift of creativity. With that gift I can plant a seed in a city. I could possibly do more in design then in congress. Design becomes even more attractive each day I intern. (BTW… This designer designed with Stephan Sagemeister. If you don’t know who his is, he’s possibly one of the best designers in the USA.

I recognized the possibility of connecting the dots. All of my interest and experiences make up the dots. Connecting them creates an image of who I am.

On Friday we left to visit Knoxville for the day. Once again I got to visit an all black school. Once again I felt incredibly far from the students. We met a guy from Nigeria. Knoxville College has population 70 students. Most of the students are international. Dilapidated, broken, and depressing all describe Knoxville College. Our host thought we could go and make some friends at the school. We weren’t sure how or what were going to do. Our friend from Nigeria was incredible. He had such a great head on his shoulders. I know he has so much potential. He could relate with others so well. Never have I met such a great conversationalist. We made a few new friends. I am amazed at how easy it is to talk to random people. I think that as long as you show them you care, they will talk. We actually cared for them and their school. From start to finish we had a 45-minute conversation with 6 KC students. We had no agenda; we just made friends with them. I saw life briefly from their perspective. I walked on to the campus asking myself how anyone would want to go to campus there. I especially appreciated my La Roche Experience after this. The students were content. In asking questions we went into areas I was uncomfortable asking about. We asked if they were trying to rebuild the campus. We asked what they expected from their time. If they cared? What do they do to pass time. The students answered and weren’t upset with us. They asked if we wanted to change the school. We said no, only they could. I think they liked that. I told them I would be inclined to want to fix the school. I realized that wasn’t possible for me to do.

Some other cool moments from Knoxville: We ate at the mellow mushroom twice. For lunch with our friends from Knoxville and for dinner we ate with a local Congressman and his family. I got to visit portions of the University of Tennessee. Wilkes’ Yukon reached its 200,000th mile. At the precious moment we stopped on the freeway and took a photo with the vehicle. We sprayed barbersol on the back window.

The sunrises on the mountain were amazing. I woke up early the last two days to see this beautiful display of colors and landscape. I felt like I was above the world. I felt like I had the world to myself. I spent the time meditating and breathing in the fresh morning air.

We spent Halloween with our host. Being that she is creative, she wanted to have a haunted house. Over the years they’ve hosted one for the neighborhood. All of the interns participated. We were supposed to play a crazy family that wouldn’t leave the house until we could tell our stories to the children. I was the dad. He is a crazy old farmer who lived in the back room of the basement. What made me weird is that I turned children into animals. In my area I had a real pig and duck. (Seriously) Collins wore a cheetah mask. He was supposed to show the progression from human to animal. He really scared the kids. Unfortunately we had to cut our show short. The pig decided to do his business all over the coal cellars wall. The smell was disgusting and unbearable. About 100 kids went through. I think it was super cool. I kept thinking of when we had the ER section of the Reserve haunted house. I enjoyed reminiscing.

Small note: The Monday before this, the guys and I were praying for Issouf and Niger. As you know I care about Niger very much. When we arrived I noticed he had a Taureg bag hanging in his living room. His father traveled to Niger to spend time with the Taureg. The next morning I got to talk to him about his experience. I was taken back by this. It was as if someone was telling me to have patience.

What did I learn from Tennessee?
I think I want to design. I can design for a purpose and make a living. (with a family) I want to work on my portfolio over the next few months. I am learning who I am more and more through each experience. Each experience sheds away another layer of who I am. In DC it’s easy to be something your not. Going to Pittsburgh and Chattanooga refreshed me. When I first got to DC I thought I had to be something other than what I am. When I went to Pittsburgh I was the true DJ. Tyler saw that and I was not judged. When I went to Chattanooga I felt free. They live in the middle of the woods. I didn’t have to impress anyone. Being in nature makes realize how precious life is. A sunrise lasts for a few minutes. A leave changes colors and eventually decomposes. For a period or time there is beauty in all that these things are. If god designed the sunrise and the colors of the fall leaf with beauty, he must have created us the same. Luckily we have longer than a 30-minute sunrise or a week long vibrancy of a leaf. We are beautiful for who we are. I shouldn’t be afraid to design or be artistic. By holding back, that’s like a cloudy day. You can’t see all of the colors so vividly. There is beauty, but not so much light and energy. Please pray for me. I need the courage to pursue design. Fear has been my hindrance. The signs are clearly pointing in that direction. I can change the world through design. Maybe later I can do the political stuff.

I never would have predicted my liking of Chattanooga. This spring I drove through the city to get to Florida. I wasn’t impressed. The view from the freeway wasn’t desirable. As with anything in life you must really examine the city up close. The buildings are all a facade. I judged the city at first because it looked bland. I could never imagine living in the south in the mountains. I have fallen in love now that I have a magnified glimpse of the city. The glimpse includes the eclectic mix of people, architecture, art, decay, revival, nature, spirit, and so much more. They also have a Steelers bar, but that’s beside the point.

Our host had a few wise words that I will end on. They are three important words. Hope, Faith, and Life. Without Hope there would be no reason for faith. Therefore I would have no life. I encourage myself to dream and have hope. I will need faith. This is what life is about.

Life is Good! I thank God for this day and the pleasure of sharing this with you.

PS - Went skateboarding today and had a blast. I’m a bit sore from some falls, but I will survive.

Something to read while you should be working

2007-11-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been quite a treat! I spent a weekend in my hometown, a few days in DC, and a week in Chattanooga. First off I would like to thank my rents for accommodating Tyler and I during our Burgh visit. I really enjoyed being back home. I especially enjoyed schooling my Dad at Tiger Woods golf on the Wi. I’d like to challenge you to a rematch over Thanksgiving break.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh will always be my home. As we approached the city via 376 I felt as if I never left. It was as if I was coming home from a long day at Kennywood or a snowboard trip at 7Springs. Emotions swept through me as I stood on top of Mount Washington. Fog embraced the city. Never have I felt as proud. Truth speaks in the quote, “You don’t know what have until you leave.” My only reminder did not consist of only the City Skyline. My family and family of friends are my foundation. Constantly I was reminded of that during the weekend.

I came to Pittsburgh to see Issouf ag Maha. Issouf is a friend from Niger. I met him during my travels there in January. If you read the BBC, you will know that a major Taureg rebellion is happening in Niger. Issouf is a Taureg and Mayor of the area of attention. The environment is also a concern of Issouf and his people. The desert is constantly encroaching on his land. As the desert spreads, agriculture depletes. This phenomenon of nature causes Niger to be one of the poorest countries in the world. The group of Taureg I immersed with were the most incredible people I have met. I will never forget the week I spent in the bush with them. During my lifetime I will go back to Niger. Because of this, it was very important to me to meet Issouf during his stay at La Roche. I expressed to him my desire to be his friend. To help Niger would require much sacrifice. I can’t do that right now. However, I can return to him what was done for me during my trip. The taureg showed me how to treat others with love. Although totally different in culture, religion, and lifestyles, the taureg accepted and embraced me. I can at least do that in return. My hope is to host Issouf in DC at my home. He did this for me in Niger.

My other objective in visiting Pittsburgh was to be with my family. You already know that my dad and I faced off in a Tiger Woods Golf battle on Wi. We are tied. (However, I almost beat him as tiger woods with a girl, Paula Creamer) Playing Wi with my dad was possibly the best part of being home. My mom took Tyler and I to a Chinese place for lunch. It was great to be with my mom. I know that she and my dad care for me so much. If it were not for them I would not be here in DC. On Sunday the whole family got together for church and breakfast. I’ve been away from family for two months. The limited time I got to spend with my family was great.

When I wasn't with Issouf or my Family I was at the Global Problem, Global Solutions conference. I must say they have outdone themselves again. The students did a superior job of helping their fearless leader Dr. LeBlanc make it happen. I was very impressed with the speakers, the panels, and the after party. Being at La Roche was a great escape. I enjoyed catching up with my friends.

Tyler and I also had some intern business to tend to. On our way we had lunch with a student from the Forum. We had a great time catching up with the student. It just so happened we had relations with a Pittsburgh resident. We had dinner with him on our way into the city on Friday night. That was the best steak I’ve ever had. Later, on Friday night, we visited another student from the Forum. He attends the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland. This guy is amazing. He started a teahouse on Friday nights. The objective was to give students an alternative to getting trashed. Our time was filled with awesome conversation. We went from discussing Global Warming in India to observing a discussion between an atheist and a very devout Christian. If I were in Pittsburgh I would spend my Fridays at the Tea House. I couldn’t believe this was happening in my own city.

What did I learn from my trip to Pittsburgh?

I learned that in college I exhausted myself trying to do everything. I tried to be everything for everyone. I get excited fast about ideas and proposals. Often I answer in my excitement before logically thinking about my decision. I don’t always do things for the right reasons. I apologize to everyone for this. Thankfully I am learning who I am. Regret is not an option.

I learned that family is much more important than I have made it. I value my family. Sometimes I forget this. I get caught up in saving the world (metaphorically speaking), and forget whom really matter. I may not be in Pittsburgh for a long time, but I would like to foster an on going relationship with the people who matter the most to me.

I’ve also begun to realize that I don’t speak in a language others can understand. I want people to think like I do. I want people to be like me. I want them to act like me. I know this is a bit exaggerated. However I get frustrated when I try to teach or (preach) and no one understands. I am beginning to learn that it’s not them to fault, but me. We are all individuals with our own beliefs and thoughts. I am learning to value that.

Due to Popular Demand

2007-10-21T11:15:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks! I need to be more disciplined on my blogging. Due to a few request by phone and voice mail I am back to write some more blog. There have been many great experiences since my last writing. I don't know where to begin. Not to make an excuse, but I lost all of the photos that I wanted to show ya'll from the rest of my south carolina trip. That kind of deterred me from writing for a bit. I like to pack the blog full of pictures and stories.

So, what have I been up to?

The gang and I spent the rest of our time in South Carolina in Charleston. Beautiful! Charleston is located on the coast, just above Hilton Head. The town is very historic and the architecture shows. I believe the civil war began in Charleston. Slaves where known to first view our great coast line as enter the port of Charleston. Infact, I had a picture of the slave trade house. It is now home to shops of all sorts. The town is home to the College of Charleston and The Citadel. I really wish I had the picture of the Citadel Work out session. We had the oppurtunity sit in out their Friday work out. Instense! I would never survive. The Citadel is a Military school. I wish I had the pictures to illustrate the grueling workout period.

A few of us opted to stay an extra day and watch the Wofford vs. Citadel game. Wilkes, one of my bros. went to Wofford. We spent the day with his parents at the game. We left during half time as we had an 8 hour drive ahead of us. On the way home we stopped at the largest tourist trap in the world, South of the Border. Again, words just can't explain. I wish I had photos to show you the Mexican themed Breezewood. 200 miles from the mecca of fast food, truck stops, and even a sombrero tower, signs entice uninformed drivers.

The past two weeks have been spent recuperating from our travels. We went with the purpose of expanding our faith. I knew no one at the schools that we visited. If we were lucky, a meeting was set with the Student Body President. Most times we randomly approached student government members and asked if we could become friends with them. Usually we visit and talk about leadership. Most time we just ask questions and the students talk. The idea is that we learn from them. Our mentors wanted us to be in uncomfortable situations where we would have to pray for direction. One story sticks out the most. Noel and I went to an all black college. I was tremendously nervous. The reality is, I was afraid to fail. I thought we would walk on to the campus and everyone would star at us. I thought that the students would think we were there to patronize them. I had heard that in the south you just down do this sort of thing. Before Noel and I enter the campus we said a prayer. We asked for courage, we asked for a student who would listen, and most off all we asked for direction. Intentionally I drove off campus to park. We started to walk and a girl on a phone greeted us, she was very friendly. I asked her where the student government office was located. It just so happens that we parked right outside the office, directly in front of it! Noel and I walked inside and asked for the president. He just left but the secretary gave us his phone number. I called and we got the wrong number! So we walked a bit more. A group of guys were walking towards us. In the middle was a nicely dressed gentlemen. I was all of the sudden driven to ask if they knew the president. The gentlemen in the suit turned out to be our guy! He was so excited to talk about leadership and his campus. We set up a meeting for the following day. The meeting was the best of all campus visits in my opinion. By the end of the meeting the president said, "thanks, I learned so much!" Noel and I were shocked. All we did was ask him questions, yet learned allot? This story encompasses the purpose of our trip. Noel and I did something we could not do on our own. Therefore, we prayed. I was uncomfortable, in need of faith. I witnessed how powerful faith can be.

I hope that explains the story well. I can go further over the thanksgiving dinner.

Some other points of interest...

Last night I went to a cocktail party in DC. There was no affiliation to the organization I am interning with. The whole story is actually quite random. When I was working for the Senator and PennFuture I met man Named hook. He is the Janitor at the RET (building I worked in). He and I became very good friends. Hook knows everyone in the building. He happened to know that one of the ladies who works with another organization in RET has a son who lives in DC. He worked for Ridge and now lobbies. I emailed him to go out for a drink and learn about DC. He invited me to his fiancees 30th b-day party. I was actually kind of nervous being that I didn't know anyone. I brought one of my roommates along as a wingman. I would say that the whole thing was a success! I made a new friend in the guy I met and he is a fellow Pittsburgher! I was also introduced to about 4 other former Burghers. I hope that the cocktail party was the beginning of another new friendship!

I would love to write about everything but I don't have the time... Here is some quick tidbits about other things I am up to.

I had dinner with a professional illustrator last week. I had a blast talking to her about the profession. She said I could spend some time with her being that I could enter into the art field for the rest of my life. Click here for her link.

I went to Catholic Mass today at a little chapel that houses Missionhurst Missionaries. See you don't have to worry, I'm not converting religions. I loved the mass, there is a real multicultural aspect. Even the music had a tribal beat to it. This is due to the missionaries they have worldwide.

Tyler and I had a meeting with a Senator from Oklahoma. He is one of my favorite politicians. (Note, he is the most conservative politician of them all)

Brandon Brown visited me last weekend. He an I had a blast together. On Saturday we went on a 7 hour bike ride around Northern Virgina and DC. During the evening we hosted a man from Uganda at our house. Somehow he we had this great opportunity to meet again! He is very active in changing Uganda. We had some wonderful conversations. Now he is an even brother from a far land.

In short, I am continuing to have the time of my life! I know that I am missing so much. I can't wait to visit and share more!

I have some photos I would live to share with you. Noel and I visit the National Cathedral and Brandon and I took some night pictures in DC. As an ending to this weeks blog I would like to share them with you.

Click here to View Photos!

Peace,

DJ

Pictures from a Protest in DC

2007-10-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday there was a protest in DC. I was riding my bike around the capital and thought I would capture the action.

http://picasaweb.google.com/DJ.Trischler/DCPhotos

Greetings from South Carolina

2007-10-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

This will be brief. I really want to say hi to ya'll since it's been so long. This week the guys and I are in South Carolina. We are going to college's and talking to random leaders. For instance, Noel and I walked into a senate meeting at clemson and asked the president to have coffee with us. We ended up talking to the pres. the vice pres. and the pro tempour about leadership. So far I have met with the presidents of Clemson, USC, Presbyterian, Allen, and Wofford. We also visited Furman.

Right now I am writing this from a house of friends of the internship. We are about 10 miles from Hilton head. We are in route for Charleston. This is a well deserved one day retreat from the exhausting work we have been doing. There's nothing like living out of your car and sleeping in random places for one week. It's like a dream come true; traveling the country talking about leadership and life.

I made some great friends at clemson! So great, that they offered us tickets to the clemson vs. VT game. The other night we had front row seats at the Steve Spurrier show at USC. I think I have two new favorite teams.

Here is a picture of us at the state house in Columbia. (We also got to meet the governor)

Yes, I am alive, but I don't have the internet yet.

2007-09-16T19:53:00.001-07:00

Hey folks! Sorry for the delay. I hope you can forgive me. In order to make it up to you, I am going to make this one even better. I added pictures!

First off, everything is going great! I am having the time of my life! I am learning so much and I, hopefully, am growing. I like to call this manhood training. (Refering to what Kunta Kinte, in the book Roots, called the period of training before becoming a man.) This isn't africa and I am by no means participating in any ritualistic activities. No fear! However, we have listened to a series of people, including, congressmen , senators, an NFL hall of Famer , and awesome people who have also succeed in the private sector. Each of them talks about purpose, their relationship with Jesus, and so many other inspiring topics. Tonight, this guy came to our house for dinner and talked about finding a sense of purpose in his career. He specifically recomended that we should seek ways to use our gifts in the ways that christ would want us to. He also said we should fail. He fails more than we succeed. Our success should overcome failure. In order to learn we will mess up. All this and more I am learning. I feel I am living the dream!

Above you see me on one of my recent adventures, WAKE BOARDING! This took place just before the entrance to the Chesapeake bay in Arnold which is near Annapolis. I have so much trouble getting up in the water. Once I got up I had a blast! It was like snowboarding! One of our mentors owns a home on the water. Austin, (a fellow intern) and I went with Jeremy, our mentors son. Our mentors are very open with their possessions. They are fortunate to have great things and they share them. I hope to be like that someday.

Also above you can see pictures from a trip to DC that both the guy and girl interns made a few days ago. We basically hung out on the Washington Mall. I am glad that I got to play tourist a few times before this internship. Otherwise, we are way to exhausted to be the tourist. We work, it seems, 24/7. Our job is not defined, but we are constantly learning. The day before the trip to DC we went to the capital building and were given a tour. I got to stand on the Senate Floor! We even got to ride the tram that takes the members to and from the office buildings to the house or senate floor.

As you can see, I am having a blast. It keeps getting better each day. I think, to be honest, the more I am in touch with back home, the better. It is easy to get caught up in the craziness of this city. I am so happy I have a great foundation from all of you.

Some info about the pictures. The one with me in front of PA is at the WWII memorial.
The group pic is at the Wash. Monument.
The picture in the car is of Austin and I. He is one of my roommates.
The one with my hair blowing back and a smile on my face is on the boat in the Chesapeake.

I know I am probably missing so much info. I wish I could share it all with you. Theres just so much. Oh! Believe it or not, I am using my design skills. I think I've rekindled my love for design, marketing and advertising. I designed a letter head for our house and some stuff for the upcoming forum.

I miss you all and I hope you enjoy the post. I will try to keep you even more posted in the future.

Love,

DJ

Quick update

2007-09-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Whats up, my fellow Pittsburghers?! I am having an amazing time! I've spent the last four days in coastal Delaware at the very exclusive Baywood Golf Community. The past couple days have been spent getting to know each other. This has been through beach volley ball, golf, swimming, working together to accomplish daily task, and great conversation. I know, this sounds incredibly surreal and almost to relaxing to deserve the title of intern. This is only intended for the rest of the guys and myself to begin our new found brotherhood. Tonight when we get back to our house in Falls Church our reality will begin. We have to figure out how to go food shopping for six guys.

Overall I am having the time of my life. I am being challenged and there is a comfort in that. I am used to being the mentor, now I am mentored. I will grow over the next nine months. I am excited to share progress with all of you.
This post was delayed due to lack of internet. I cannot make any promises as to when I will make my next post. I hope everything is great back home!

Peace and Love,

D.J.

Today I leave

2007-08-28T22:19:00.001-07:00

Today I embark on a new journey within the great journey that is my life. I am scared and I am excited. I know that everything is going to be just fine. Everyone keeps telling me all these great things about myself. I have never felt so much love. I wish I could just live within the past two weeks. All I have been doing is spending time with the people who love me. I know that when I leave Pittsburgh, I will leave a core group of people, who without, I would not be who I am now. If it were not for these people I would not be leaving. I truly believe that I have been molded by the people I have surrounded myself with. You know who you are. (I would mention names, however, I want to leave all names out of my blog.) If everyone felt the love that I have felt there would be peace in this world. I think that it is now my job to go out and share the love that has been shared with me. I might not know exactly what I am getting into (at all), but I do know that I leave a man and I want to come back a better man. I can become this through giving service to my current and soon to be friends and whoever I may encounter. Life is for experimenting. Experimenting requires openness to change. I am open to change in my life. I am willing to take the next year to experiment. It is my belief, at this stage in my life, that god is one. God is everywhere in everything. This includes you, me, and everyone in between. It is awfully hard to live out this belief. If I truly believed this you would treat others as if they were god, I would treat the planet as if it was god. By May of next year I hope to be closer. I don't expect I will every fully believe this Idea, I am human.

This is for everyone who I love. I am sorry if there are spelling mistakes or ideas that you disagree with. I am just going to type what my fingers let me articulate. What I write is only my opinion of what life will present to me over the next nine months. I invite my family and friends to listen to the journey. I am a work in progress. What I write will be my belief at that second and that moment. I think it will be best to judge the product as a whole and enjoy the parts. Remember, my goal is to learn to see God in you, me, and everyone in between. If you disagree with what I may be writing, remember my goal and what it entails.

Beyond this I would like to pursue an even more selfish journey. Eventually I would like to find a job. Or atleast know where to look for one. I have been tacking in the wind for the past four years. First I thought I wanted to graphic design. The wind has blown me in many directions since this first goal. I now wonder if politics is the arena for me. Others tell me no and some say yes. I know that I love design and if it weren't for design I would not have experimented with what I have already so far. How can I merge my interest of art, culture, travel, politics, "saving the world", love, faith, leadership, and service, into one? I hope to be closer in nine months.

My mission is to give thanks. I realize that trying to figure out what my interest are or packing for DC are really minute problems to face. Some face struggles of finding food or a place to rest. For the next year I will have both. My struggle is selfish. I am thankful for the opportunities that have been presented to me. I am thankful for tomorrow. I am thankful for the guys I don't even know who I will live with. I am thankful for the family I have. I am thankful for the friends I have. I thankful for the school I went to. I am thankful that this is free :). I am thankful that I have the freedom to write whatever I feel like.

Until then, enjoy!

Peace and Love,

D.J.

First Post

2007-08-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Before this moment I have never officially blogged. Historically I start something and it sounds completely cool but I never really sustain that something. I the same could occur with this project. However, this is not about me. This blog is about all of the people I have met and will meet in my life. I truly believe what makes us who we are is the people that we surround ourselves with. I could really go down a list of names and specifically describe how each person effected me. I am thankful for each and everyone of you.

With every endeavor there should be a mission statement. "Give thanks".

Such a very simple mission, yet I hope it can become very powerful once implemented.

Along with giving thanks I will mention the various activities I am participating in. I really think that this will be a great way to communicate with all of my friends. I hope that we can eventually all share our stories here. Please express yourself using whatever medium you so desire.

Also if you need some extra motivation please ask. I love to help others conquer whatever it is in their lives that they are facing.

Please enjoy!

D.J.