and here it is, friday already. it never gets any easier to believe. two and a half days and i'll be on my way back to the midwest. erica and i are so very much looking forward to this goodbye, because it is the last one - ever! do you have any idea the meaning of this for us? five long years of tear-filled goodbyes and i'll-see-you-ins and soon-enoughs and so-on-and-so-forths, and after sunday? never again!

yes, this break has flown by, and i have not accomplished near the amount of what i wanted to. but i have grown in love for this woman and in wonder of the privilege and beauty of marriage, which has been rather amazing. and to be sure, this is only the beginning.

last night's french cafe surprise bridal shower was a complete success. nobody thought she would buy my "let's go play dodgeball at the church" story, but i knew it would be perfect. mildred (a woman who, i think, was around for the founding of coopersburg, and perhaps even helped, and who is most likely our biggest fan) had a front row seat. when she gave us a beautiful amber depression-glass plate, she told us she had bought it with us in mind 2 or 3 years ago. she knew we would marry before we did! and she gave it to us in a "merry christmas from sears and roebuck co." box that looked like it was from the 20's. she may have been embarrassed seeing that box next to all the fancy white and gold and silver and what-have-you, but that silly little box was just my style and probably my favorite part of the whole evening, besides the waterproof-cd-player-for-the-shower someone got us.

but enough mooshy-goosh. wes and i are making a very impressive line of button sets that we will sell at tonight's show. roll your eyes all you'd like, but these are no hip and trendy emo kid buttons, these are high-quality aesthetically pleasing works of art, and there is no doubt in my mind that you'd be impressed, and maybe even be interested in purchasing some. perhaps i could take some pictures of them? there is the tricycle set, the VW bug set, the electrical outlet set, the hollow-body guitar set, the rubber-ducky set, and we could go on but you get the idea.

but enough of all this for now, there are places to run to and people to meet with and things to get done.

jimmy eat world's 'clarity' is the number one best album you tend to forget about. every once in a while i pull it out, dust it off, pop it in, and ask myself why i don't listen to it nonstop. its a summer driving record, so get it ready.

and there's something soothing and calming about sufjan's 'michigan.' tracks 13-14-15 straight through, in particular, release all sense of fear and worry. and it's ok to listen to all the even numbered tracks sometimes; they have their place and they're not all bad.

and yes, the six parts seven's 'things shaped in passing,' i will mention it again. relaxing, beautiful, the perfect soundtrack for nearly everything. without them, my book of poetry, and our living room couch, i probably wouldn't have made it through last night without a nervous breakdown. thanks to jared for convincing me to spend money on it. it was worth it.

it's another bring your fiancee to work day.

the other day, i accidentally split a big hole in my jeans. i was upset about it, but my mother was very consoling. you see, she and my father have, oddly enough, become very big american idol fans. her optimistic advice, then, was, "it's ok, nate! everyone on american idol has holes in their jeans!" i felt so much better about it after that.

i'm proud of this one for some reason.

there was more, but i've since forgotten. the day's soundtrack so far has been six parts seven 'things shaped in passing' and radiohead 'ok computer'. there is something amazing about ok computer.

happy easter.

to be perfectly honest, i've never been a big fan of the "he is risen, he is risen indeed" saying. unless, of course, sweet mineral is singing it.

last night erica and i bought a mattress. that seals the deal, in my mind. when you've bought a mattress together, there's no turning back. the place we bought it from was incredibly shady, not at all unlike the D&D Mattress Man.

my father is apparently very proud of this blog, so much so that he's been telling the entire church congregation about it. i was stopped by someone in the classroom hallway this morning and he very enthusiastically said, "hey, neat website! 200,000, huh?" i gave an awkward "yup" with a grin and a shrug. he turned and continued telling everyone he was previously conversing with, "yup, you type this guy's name in a search engine and his very own website comes up!" he was much too excited about it, and i'm rather embarrassed.

this morning i thought of apostle paul as an intellectual johnny knoxville, always traveling from town to town getting beat up and expecting it. i thought maybe he received a great sense of adventure out of his job, running away from mobs and laughing with barnabus and his other buddies. granted, his purpose was a bit more significant than just getting money for being a jackass, and i realize it's a little bit of a lame analogy, but i liked the thought when it popped into my mind.

i must go, because taylor just came out to the computer room and informed me that "this is a family day."

and would it be too much of a harsh overstatement to say that 'the purpose driven life' is becoming the evangelicals' apocrypha?

you're sick of hearing about weddings, because everyone is doing it, but i must let you know that progress is being made. wedding bands were purchased today. mine is just about as plain as it gets, which is what i like. tonight, envelopes were addressed with the incredible handwriting skills of nate and rata. and plans for the best processional music you've ever heard are underway. get ready. so, now we just have to take care of the little things, like planning a freaking RECEPTION.

we also looked at a pretty nice apartment today, and it looks as though thats where we'll live. the good news is that there are two other two-bedroom apartments in the same building right next door that are being renovated, and you're invited to move in! so start looking for jobs in bethlehem. and the rent's pretty cheap, too!

went to the good friday service tonight. i try to have a good attitude every year, and every year i come out more cynical than i was before (which is hard to believe). i don't think i want to go next year. i don't think it's healthy for me.

i got my first issue of relevant magazine today. i think they would fulfill their mission of relevance a lot more effectively if they spent less time trying to convince everyone that they are relevant and more time actually just being so. it takes more than a slick design to be relevant, and sometimes i don't think they're picking up on that. and seriously, simply by calling your magazine "relevant" screams the fact that you're trying too hard. i appreciate their effort, and it's not all bad, but, yeah, i believe you're relevant, you dont have to try and convince me on every page, just write, that's all i ask.

if you didn't want a copy of my movie before, you will after finding out how good it is!

i thought this was spring break! why is there snow on the ground?! where am i -- michigan?!?

the trip home went smoothly yesterday except for annoying trucks and slow drivers. construction is finally complete on the PA turnpike, and it is BEAUTIFUL. beautiful because first, there is no construction, and second, now it's a beautiful spacious fast 3 lane highway. the only problem is the speed limit, for whatever reason, is still 55 mph. helllooooo, this is the 21st century, we don't drive 55 mph anymooooore. i was actually rehearsing what i would say to the cop who would pull me over for speeding. "sir, i mean no disrespect by this, but i would honestly like to know why the speed limit needs to be 55 mph on a 3-lane highway." thankfully, i didn't have the opportunity to ask.

five years ago on this night, erica and i were rushing to the hospital after a crazy for you dress rehearsal to greet the newest member of the shorb family. she was tiny and she was beautiful. i told her that tonight and asked, "do you believe it?" she said in her oh-brother-tone-of-voice, "no."

then i said, "do you know who's coming home on wednesday??" she replied, "i knoooow, it's YOU!" she continued, "i know because i'm so smart now that i'm five."

happy birthday, taylor!

i found myself in a whirlwind trip to michigan this weekend. jared and i went to visit joanna and the girls in grand rapids. we went to a record store, a movie store, watched big red, home movie, and fell asleep during ghostbusters and the incredibles. on sunday morning we woke up and had breakfast and went to a pretty great christian reformed church and hung out and were on our way.

it was good to see joanna and meet "the guy that she dates." hanging out with all these old working people made me feel rather young, being the only one still in school and all. it was even stranger knowing i too would be old like this come june, and even more so in some respects, being married and all. it gives me the heebie jeebies at times.

there are certain friends who, for some reason, turn me into a giggly little immature girl. jared cheek is one of them. and while it's embarassing, especially in the presence of mature, older, intimidating new acquaintances, there are few times when i am happier. there's nothing better than an uncontrollable giggle fit that makes your stomach sore and your cheeks tingly, regardless of who is present.

grand rapids is a nice place. it's an urban setting, with all the resources like cool record stores and book shops and restaurants, but without being a daunting metropolis. it made me want to go to calvin. erica thinks allentown and bethlehem might have a lot to offer too, and i hope she is right, but i'm a little bit skeptical.

i like michigan in general. sure, the long winter leaves a little to be desired, but there's a lot of great things about the state:

- it just feels homey, but not in an annoying southern accent sweet home alabama kind of way.
- you can drive as fast as you want! not only is the speed limit 70 mph, but cops apparently dont even care when you go 90 mph!
- all the towns have cool names. when i brought neville to pennsylvania, he made fun of all of our town names. i thought he was just being mean, but now i know the surroundings he grew up with, and he must just be surprised when he sees the opposite. i mean, really, kalamazoo, ypsilanti, otsego! no but seriously, must i really go on?
- while having a great lake isn't quite as good as having an ocean, it's still pretty great.
- and this one requires further research, but i think michigan dutch people might be cooler than pennsylvania dutch people. i'm not willing to stand firm on that one though, not just yet.

on the way home, we decided to drop by neville's house for a little bit because he's home on break. his ENTIRE family was home, including gavin's two new puppies, and poor jared was scared stiff i think. it's an intimidating experience! but it was pretty great. when we weren't laughing because they were funny, we were laughing because it was random, chaotic, awkward, strange, and what have you, and because we felt like barry egan on the verge of a nervous breakdown. it was beautiful! and neville's sister made some amazing brownies! (which, incidentally, jared refused to eat, adding to the awkwardness.)

lots of driving and lots of gas money (we got gas for $2.19 in michigan, and we thought it was a deal!) and lots of schoolwork avoidance but all well worth it.