Weds., Feb. 15, 2012, Nashville, Tennessee, 6:43 p.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Nathan Lake here.  Hope this finds y'all in good standing.

As for me, I am busier than a centipede in a toe-counting contest (as my Pop likes to say).  Let me fill you in:

I am still working at the pizza joint.  In fact, I am now an assistant manager.  Boss has liked my work ethic, so he put me on part of his team.  A great honor!  I can make schedules and supervise new employees and report them if they goof off or do some other serious infraction.  I can understand how some of these new applicants/workers feel because I was there once, myself, when I first started this job several years ago.

I'm attending the same church I have been: Christ Community Assembly of God, which is an non-denominational church, which simply means that people of all faiths are welcome to come worship with us.  It's still growing: over 2,000 people now call Christ Community home.  I have made a lot of wonderful friends here, and quite a few of 'em go to my school.  I'm in my last year: I graduate in June of this year.  Seems hard to believe, but it's true !

After I graduate, Krysta Genry and I plan on getting married; I already popped the question to her on Christmas morning.  She reacted predictably: she cried her eyes out (but then, I did, too!).  It was a very magical moment.  Then yesterday, for Valentine's Day, I took her out to eat at Olive Garden, and I gave her a half dozen red roses and a new heart necklace.  She cried again.  :)  Krysta has always had a soft heart!  I love that in a woman! :)

I am glad I am working more hours on Saturday (usually 8 hours ... or more); I need all the money I can get to save up for our wedding, which will probably take place in August.  Then after that, I don't know what we'll do: the world's our oyster.  :)

I did get Krysta a cat for her birthday.  I got her a rescue from the local shelter; I got her a cat that's part Ragdoll, part Maine Coon, and heaven knows what else.  She named it Squeaky.  Aptly named: the kitty has such a wimpy sounding trill! LOL  

It looks like a tabby cat but has long fur (and a bushy, bushy tail) (the Maine Coon part), but it has the floppy, relaxed nature of a Ragdoll (plus the sapphire-blue eyes), and meows (chirps) constantly.  We think it may have some Siamese in her because Squeaky NEVER shuts up for a minute! LOL

What DO you call a cat like Squeaky?  A Maine-Rag-Mese??  :)

People no longer act so afraid when they see my face.  It looks as good as it's gonna get.  I may still have some scars and some minor deformity (mainly my nose), but compared to the way I looked as a child, I have come a very long way.  There's a guy at my church who has a messed-up face, but his will never look completely normal.  His face looks worse than mine.  Yet Bwame' Ottumbwa is so soft-spoken and has the sweetest spirit about him; one can't help but admire his love for the Lord.

The guy breathes with a tube in his throat and sounds like he's whistling when he speaks, but he's very happy with himself and it makes me count my blessings.  (The man wasn't bron that way: he got bitten by some fly in Africa, where he was born, as a child, and it destroyed his face.  He came to America to get it fixed and has decided to stay here; he loves it here.)

Bwame' 's story is absolutely amazing.  It really makes people think when he tells othes what he went through to get to where he is at now at the current time!

Well, I am gonna hit the hay; did homework and am tired, so I'm gonna sign off and go to bed.  I will write in here again soon;  sorry it's been a while.  I will try to do better next time!

~Nathan Lake.  :)