Sorry for not updating.

This has been a whirlwind week.

 

I thought it'd be best to update you about the events of last week in timeline form if I can remember everything.  Buckle up.  It's been a crazy ride.

 

Friday, August 12th 2005:  Packing and loading the truck.  Jen and I started packing early in the morning and my brother Robert stopped by to help as well.  Thankfully Jen had helped me for most of the week but we still had work to do.  I tried to give a lot of stuff away because I was moving from a 2 bed 2 bath to a one bed one bath.  I think they call this cozy.  Allen stopped by to lend some moral support and his problem solving helped us take apart a futon for my former boss at Ferguson.  We picked up the truck and Randy fields and Lee showed up just in time to help begin to load it.  The 14 ft. truck was much smaller than I had expected but with the help of Randy, Lee, Rob, Jen, and Byron we got everything into it that was supposed to get into it into it.  I almost wish we left more stuff behind.LOL  By the time it was time for us to clean the place for the new owners it was getting late and we were all very tired.  Randy and Carlee called up and came over and with the help of Valerie nearly cleaned the whole house with the exception of the kitchen because Jen had that completely under control.  The rest of the God story...  In the afternoon a couple that was house shopping, without their realtor, stopped by and I got to show them around.  They loved the place in spite of all of the packing and everything and said they were going to make an offer.  The problem was their realtor was MIA.  They tried to reach them all day.  So they called my realtor Debi and they worked it out so Debi would write the offer.  To make a long story short around midnight that night everything was packed and we sat on the floor and accepted their contract.  They agreed to rent back until closing so the fear of having to rent a place here in Fort Worth and make a mortgage payment in VA was gone before I left for "the Metroplex".  (I just had to use that word.)  The truck pulled out at 1:30 AM for Texas!

 

Saturday, August 13th:  We drove and we drove and we drove.  Probably better said we re-fueled, we re-fueled and we re-fueled.  The truck only got 8, yes 8 miles to a gallon.  As we drove we saw gas prices rise and so did my fear...  Almost every time we stopped for gas it was more than $70 to fill up.  Byron mentioned that his return ticked by plane looked even better considering it was only $104 after taxes and everything.  If you come visit just fly on a Tuesday.  It cost only a little more than a U-Haul fill up.  LOL  Byron and I switched back and forth driving but as you can guess we got a little wild and crazy by the time we pulled into his brothers house in the afternoon.  Byron swam in the pool and I sat in a daze thinking about the next day of fill ups.  LOL  Eight hours to go from Memphis to Ft. Worth Texas.  Byron's step brother Tim took us to the celebrity hang out.  A little Rib place but not near Graceland.  We got back home and I crashed hard.

 

Sunday, August 14th:  We left Memphis thankfully not walking as the song goes at about 7 AM.  Arrived at the apartment here in Ft. Worth at around 1:30 or 2.  It was nearly 100 degrees and in spite of that Byron and I was able to unload the whole truck by ourselves with the South African neighbor from above watching.  "Hello South African Neighbor from above."  I came out at the end of unloading and Byron had made a friend.  Those two guys must have talked for a while because Byron practically knew his life story.LOL  The funny part was that they guy asked Byron if he was moving his son in for school.  A differently neighbor asked me the same question so I guess Byron and I are even. 

 

God is good because the apartment was on the first floor and we were able to park right in front and throw everything inside the unit.  Byron and I then cleaned up a little bit and went to dinner and a cool little Cajon restaurant in Benbrook, where I live, called Razzo's.  They had football, always nice, and great food.  After eating we drove around the campus briefly and it looked beautiful at night. 

 

Monday, August 15th:  We dropped the U-Haul off at the place were all U-Haul's go and after looping around the interstate for like 15 min.  We both were on my walkie-talkie's saying well I see the place but just can't get to it.  Crazy.  We went to campus with the intention of getting everything done that needed to get done.  We wanted to see Dr. Forshee and Caner.  Didn't happen.  We heard Dr. Caner's voice but we could tell he was in a meeting so we didn't disturb him.  We never found Dr. Forshee's office.  Byron and I both had a list of other things to do and we accomplished nothing.  Except for filling out an application for on campus work.  I did do that.  Monday night we had dinner with Randy and Carlie's (see Friday) brother and sister in law in a town a little north of Dallas.  They were awesome.  Finally, my first real friends here in Ft. Worth.  They and their 6 children were very cool.  We stayed there pretty late.

 

Tuesday, August 16th:  Up early to take Byron to the Airport.  The first time I really felt alone was where I dropped off Byron at the terminal gate.  I thanked God that he sent Byron with me so I had some of my Liberty family with me in transition.  All of you were with my in my heart the rest of the day.  Funny how you remember little things about everyone.  Stuff you did, etc.  The rest of the day was kind of a blur until about 4:30 when Jason Mayfield (note the name) called me.  He is the manager of the Media department at the school and he asked me to come in for an interview by 5 that day.  God is awesome!  I knew I had to take the job because I will think of Scott everything time I see Jason's name plate and I will get awesome experience working in media.  The only catch was I had to get a class schedule with all of my classes after noon.

 

Wednesday, August 17th:  Orientation at 8 AM.  A long day and I still don't know what the rules are.  Dr. Patterson spoke and so did a lot of other Dr's.  It was a long day but I was able to register and get my classes all after noon.  A lot of the local churches hold a picnic for incoming students on campus so after registering I began to shop for churches.  Jason called me while I was church shopping just outside his building so I went inside and showed him my class schedule and he said that I would start work the next morning.  "My God shall supply all my needs..."  I filled out all of my paperwork went to get about 50 lbs of keys and had a job by the end of the day.

 

Thursday, August 18th:  First day of school and work.  This is the type of job that you will either be really busy or have nothing to do at any given time.  The great thing is when we have nothing to do we can study!  The camera crew was short camera operators so my year of camera experience at Liberty Baptist Church came in handy.  I got to work camera 2 during chapel.  I went to class in the afternoon and while sitting in the student center I got a call.  Unfortunately, Verizon is horrible here in Ft. Worth and I'm roaming almost everywhere so I usually don't answer unless I see full bars.  Sometimes when I see them I can take two steps and I'll be roaming again.  So I didn't answer the phone.  Five min later I thought maybe I should answer check the message.  It was Lee.  With all of the excitement from the week I forgot he was coming through on his way to Arizona!  My good friend Lee has no cell phone so I had no way to contact him.  So with 45 min left until class began I jumped into my car to try to find him.  I got home (funny to call this place home) and he wasn't here.  I panicked a little and began to drive out and saw him.  I gave him my key and offered explained that I had class from 6 to 9 so I really couldn't hang out with him.  He followed my back to school to take a look around campus and I went to class.  By the time I got home he as sleeping and I couldn't even keep him awake with the Airzooka gun I shot him with. 

 

Friday, August 19:  Lee and I went to breakfast.  My living room sofa is getting broken in and I'm thankful for God timing this so I can have a visitor already.  I still don't know where the legs are for the sofa bed so the guy have been sleeping on the sofa part not the bed part.  I've been looking all week for those legs.  It's a mystery.  I'll keep you all updated on that story line.  After breakfast Lee left for Arizona and I for work.  I have no classes on Friday so I'm scheduled from 8 to 4 with the media team.  The school has a new Alumni building where they hold conferences and meetings.  Today the Fort Worth CPA group had the place rented for a continuing ed class so I got to work all day with those folks.  The best part was the free lunch!!!  BONUS!  The worst part was that it was a CPA conference so I was afraid I would fall asleep and land on the mixer board and everyone would hear a HUGH crash of me falling off of my stool.  The funny part was that in all my years of media I've never really worked a sound mixer board so I was working the whole conference after 5 min of training.  Boy was I nervous.  I had to make everyone think I was an expert too...  LOL  Anyway, I survived and I don't think that anyone knew that I had no clue what I was doing even though I did make a few mistakes.  At one point the PowerPoint presentation just turned off on the final speaker.  I was like.  Ugh, I've made it through the whole day and now a problem...  I think he hit the power button or something.  I'm still not really sure.  After calling back to the main office secretary I figured out how to turn the projector back on with the really cool touch screen unit and we were good to go again.  Tonight I just came home and crashed.

 

Well, now you are all updated.  Thank you all so much for your prayers!!!

Norman

Norman Ridgway

5904 Beverly Drive West #1158
Fort Worth, TX 76132
757-897-6928

http://normanridgway.blogspot.com/

 

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. "
Jim Elliot