The Gift of Life...

There are very Very VERY few things in life I feel like I am spontaneous about. But tonight I feel the need to put this up somewhere...

Today I learnt the news that my incredible friend of many many years Aaron Westmoreland and his wife are having their first child later today.... Over the past few months with the proposals and engagements that have been going on around me, and the prospect of a few of my buddies being shipped off to their future jobs in the military, it has donned on me... We're growing up... And while the adventurer in me can barely contain my excitement... I find myself freaking out tonight. Why I ask myself... Well, Aaron and I have known each other for a long time, since Middle School. And when I think of those days I think of the two scrawny kids who would spend their time playing video games and talking star wars non-stop causing a general ruckus around the Woodlands. And 11 or so years later, here I sit writing this on the day that Aaron will be welcoming his son... I'll let that sink in for a bit... into this world that we live in. I'm not there with them, I'm actually writing this from a friend's house in Edmonton, Canada.... But I can't go to sleep... We will be welcoming a new life into the world today, and one that is of a family close to me. I can't go to sleep because I'm excited for him... Hopeful for him.... Worried and all of these crazy feelings I would only expect from the birth of my own son. But so many things come out of the birth of a child, so many new responsibilities, but so many awesome times and memories to be had. I find myself envious of my friend. Of the family he is soon to have... Of the son he will soon have to raise and take care of. That being said, what an incredible responsibility. But knowing Aaron like I have, and seeing him stand up for me on multiple occasions where the odds were stacked against us... I can't think of someone who is more ready to accept this unconditional love that God has tasked us fathers and fathers to be with. Noah is lucky to have a father like he has, and I have full confidence that Aaron is gonna rock.

Aaron buddy... I hope for the best for you and your family... To think that you'll be a father here pretty soon is incredible to say the least... It has been an honor to be your friend all these years and I only hope that with the birth of your son that we all enter another exciting chapter of our lives.... To God be the glory, and may he welcome Noah into this world with great things planned for him and you soon to be parents... I love you man, and I'm here for you every step of the way...

Dieu Defend Le Droit, and he will continue to do so today with the birth of your son. I'm so proud.

Day 3 (2/14/2011) & 5 (2/16/2011)

Good evening ladies and gents!!

How is everyone doing? I apologize for being away for a bit... I had a couple of extremely crazy weeks back there and well... Now I'm done. Well kinda...

After Wednesday my Spring Break officially starts and I'll hit y'all with 2 more vlogs and inshallah a video each day of Spring Break....

I love y'all!!!

DAY 3: (Will be most likely be boring... This is for my own posterity... so I can remember everything that is... awesome? about Guardroom... haha)

Day 5:

Stay safe... And in case I don't write anything in the meantime... Have great Spring Breaks!!!

Day 2 (2/15/2011) : NOT Death By Vlog???

Howdy ladies and gentlemen,

So, as it turns out, I had an exam yesterday and a relatively big paper due today so I was unable to do my vlog for Sunday...

This being said, to make up for said travesty (missing the second day of my daily vlog... *sigh*) I finished a video I have been working on since break during my study breaks... It was an idea I had over break that never really came to fruition, (My brother and I were hanging out with friends too much) but I figured I'd put this one up in case I wanted to continue with the idea!!

Enjoy! And yesterday's vlog will be up tonight!!!

Take care! God Bless!!

Day 1 of my Daily Vlog

So ladies and gents... I have decided to start "Death By Vlog" or a daily vlog entry yesterday, and the vid from yesterday is up today! And if you're still following me after that very complicated explanation... I will be uploading a short (and in some cases long) vlog entry a day, unless something prohibits me from doing otherwise...

So without further ado... Here it is... Day one of my "Death By Vlog" project.

Enjoy!!! God Bless!

1 Corinthians 15:55

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

I have been blessed, with a life that has been free of the deaths of close ones. The loss of my grandfather hit me hard, but prior to his passing, he was involved in a long fight against Alzheimer's disease. My family and I were slowly eased into the reality of the possibility of his passing, and when it finally happened, I was able to cope with his loss. During school, none of my close friends were involved in any serious car accidents, or any of the things that would plague the average American High School, and for this I am blessed... Truly blessed.

Today, I lost a great friend, a brother, and one of the most God fearing and loving people I have ever had the privilege to meet to a car accident. Never before has someone close to me been ripped from my life in such a manner, and it's a feeling unlike any I've experienced before.

My mind has just been racing backwards, hitting upon all the fun, tough, and rewarding experiences we've had together. The many trips to CO meetings with Col. Smith and others, the midnight yells where he and I would have to chaperon our juniors, the crush party he told me I had to join him at so that we may pick up dates to a Midnight yell, and finally the Star Wars marathon we were going to watch.

You start to think of all the things that you didn't do with the person that if given a second chance you would. Like the time I was walking back from my car to the dorm and he asked if I was open to start our SW marathon and I turned him down because I had to study for an exam. Times like these where you really want to hate yourself for saying no, but in reality realize the circumstances of the past.

But it wasn't simply just having the same job in the Corps of Cadets, or putting up with the troubles that came along with it that really makes this experience so tough. Taylor was unlike so many people I've known (good and bad), who profess to be strong in their faith. He openly professed his love for God, and lived his life accordingly. In the past few minutes, I have struggled to think of an instance of sin or unhappiness. Sure, we'd sit around and complain about the various trials and tribulations associated with our position in the Corps of Cadets or about other little things, but never, not once, did I hear him honestly profess unhappiness with someone / something going on in his life. Taylor would always be smiling, enjoying what life served him, and would make the best of it all, just like the good book always tells us to. For that, I admired him, and in many ways, wanted to be like him.

And lastly, if there was anything else Taylor taught me, it was that it doesn't matter what others thought of you as long as you were just being yourself. It's a fact of life that many people (myself included at times) feel the need to avoid talking about something, or acting a certain way just to fit in with the crowd. I can't think of a more honest person I've known than Taylor was. He was the kind of guy who would stand up for the weirdness in someone, or even better yet, take part in it. I always admired his creativity and ability to feel cool with himself in any situation.

While the saying "only the good die young" isn't entirely true all the time, I can't think of an instance where it doesn't apply more truthfully than the death of my friend. Taylor was the most genuine person I knew, and while earth and this life lost one of it's happiest, God has chosen to bless His faithful subjects in Heaven with the company of this great individual. I look forward to the day I will see Taylor again, he has been a great inspiration to us all, and has been a great force of positive change in my life. His passing will leave a void, but I'm sure he'd be happy to know that those he has touched will fight to fill it with the goodness he has brought out in all of us, and the memories of the fun times we've all shared with him.

He will be missed, and I will miss the positivity he always brought to me when times got hard. Heaven shines brighter with his presence.

Rest in Peace Taylor Gillespie.

(1/9/2011)

Psalm 34:10

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing"

I was having a terrible day... And an ESPECIALLY terrible evening... I was frustrated, ticked off, and just all around miserable...

And then, I have no idea how... But my best friend from Haiti somehow found me on facebook... And we had ourselves an hour long conversation in French and English... Caught up, joked around, and all that sort of good stuff....

God is so great... I'm going to bed a happy man... How awesome is God???

Patrick and I... He somehow found me on facebook... How great God is!

I can't get over how great it is that God sees you down and provides a little bit of relief every so often... He never stops providing for me!! :D

I'll catch y'all up soon... It's been a terrible few days for me.. (from a work standpoint... This past weekend was actually pretty fun...)

Keep it real... God bless... Dieu vous benisse!!

Neal

Galatians 2 : 20

As promised... Here is the first vlog of this year... It covers the first half of my summer vacation...

I'm glad... It's finally... Done... I've never had so much trouble with my video rendering software... haha!!

Unfortunately... The westlin' I had to do with this sucker has gone too late into the night... I'll edit this entry tomorrow morning with an actual update on where I'm at...

Sleep well all... I know I will.

Neal

**EDIT**

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

As is the case always... God is great!

I've been realizing over the past year, that each week... Behind the classes, the corps games, and all the work and fun I've been having, that each week has a theme in life. It's almost like each week is a different class, and God is my teacher. Last week was overcoming the troubles in our lives, with our eyes on the prize, that is the salvation that God is offering us should we come to know Him (and how great it is!). Fast forward to this past weekend. Luke, James, (Two of my buddies from my Corps of Cadets unit), Emily (Luke's date), and I were up in Arlington watching the football game between our Aggies and Arkansas. My focus was completely on the game until someone behind us taps me on the back. I wish I had gotten his name, because he and the the other guy sitting behind us were both a blessing that day. He called to out attention that a girl sitting next to us was "playfully" getting smacked around by her date (and probably her boyfriend).

Fast forward again one day later, I'm sitting in church and Pastor Butch is going over Galatians 2 : 11-22 where Paul rebukes another apostle Peter in public. The overall theme of the service was, why do we refuse to rebuke in public, practices that we disagree with or know are ungodly? Because we care too much about what others around us think (in this life), than what God thinks instead. We care too much about these Earthly desires, when in reality we should be dead to this world. Paul was dead to any criticism or gossip arising out of publicly rebuking Peter. Am I dead to this world, and reborn in God's way?

Back to Saturday, we paid attention to this guy and how he was treating this girl throughout the game from that point on. I seriously was feeling more nervous about this than the score, and finally Luke had had enough and approached the guy about it. This caused the girl to step down a row of seats where Emily talked to her for a bit.

Would I have done the same thing had I of been in Luke's place? Would I have been "dead" enough to what those around me and the commotion I may have caused to have said what he did? I'd like to think so.

Anyways, he climbed down to the row she was at and talked to her for the rest of the game and before it had ended, I was telling James to get ready for a fight because Luke had approached the guy again. Nothing happened, but my heart pains for that girl who had to go home with that guy. Didn't get a name, or anything, so all we've been able to do is pray. After it had all ended and that group had left, one of the two behind us, said to the four of us, "I dunno if y'all know Jesus or not... But he blessed that girl with y'all's presence today. I really appreciate what y'all did today."

My heart soared. For someone still developing in their faith still, that was special. I hadn't even thought of it from a religious standpoint but he put it together for me. What great role-models my buddies are for me and how blessed am I to have found them through these past three years and for that guy to have brought the whole situation to our attention. Praise be to Jesus!!

Fast forward to last night at Breakaway where Ben was talking about love and relationships. My heart was pained again for that girl. I just hope she knows God, and finds strength in him. But it wasn't all sadness that stemmed from his words too... I tell you what, all this talk of the importance of the family structure and the awesomeness that God invests in a family faithful to Him has me excited for the future. What a responsibility, but what an awesome blessing it will be when it happens. I look forward to seeing that day!

God is Great! And I have to head off to class...

As always... Keep it real and live a the good life y'all,

Neal