Sugar Free Gum and Mickey Mouse Camouflage

Back when I was like 8 or 10 or 12 years old, the Pendergrass side of my family would do some squirrell hunting in the woods in North Louisiana. I remember my grandfather always fussed at my dad about me and my brothers having "mickey mouse" hunting gear (not that our camo actually boasted the mouse man of Disney on them, but that they weren't quality threads).

That random thought has nothing to do with the main point of this blog. However, this next random thought does strangely enough have to do with this blog.

Another auxiliary memory to the actual squirrel harvesting is that my Uncle Bill would always offer me, my brothers, and my cousin a piece of the pink Sugar Free EXTRA Gum. It tasted like bubble gum, but could scarcely form any respectable bubble. To this day, if I ever see a pack of that gum, I think about squirrel hunting with my family. And if I think about squirrell hunting, a pack of pink gum often flickers through my thoughts for a brief moment.

weird right?

just one of those things I guess.

so the other day I thought about both squirrell hunting and the pink gum simultaneously like there were two screens in my mind and one side was a first person view from my junior self tramping around the woods amidst my kin. The other side was a still frame of the pink gum.

This time it was a new thought that triggered the flashback.

I was talking to Mrs. Pat (my employer) about how I had gained some encouragement from her husband earlier in the day when he talked about how he was praying for some discernment about a decision he had to make. He told me that he had reached a point when he just told God, "you know that I don't want to do the wrong thing, so I will just be at peace and wait until you show me what is right."

That was a lesson and encouragement to me because I am a hasty decision maker...even when I offer up a dutiful prayer asking for discernment I usually already have my mind made up. #hardheadedtomfoolery

So when I was talking to Mrs. Pat- I was like, "truly wanting to do His will is pressure-less if you allow yourself to be at peace and wait for His lead."

Little did I know that Mrs. Pat was packing a six-shooter loaded with spiritual wisdom bullets.

She cocks back the hammer and sweetly says, "yes, I don't even need to know where I'm going when He's leading me. I just go!"

BABOOOOOM - picture a sweet little lady in her sixties on the outside, but a righteous Doc Holliday on the inside. So that makes me Ringo. (watch Tombstone, but not around small children..or any sort of children)

So this is when I see gum and mickey mouse camo

Why?

Back when we would go hunting, we would be out near Lake Darbonne, Corney Lake, or on our hunting lease outside Minden. I had know idea where we were on a globe, in the state of Louisiana, or especially in the actual woods. If I were by myself I would have never known how to get anywhere. Even if I got out of the woods and to a road, I wouldn't have known which direction to take the road.

I was simply following wherever the people that I trusted went.

So all of this applies to my life in this way: I have felt a lot of pressure to make decisions about my future recently. Like, what am I going to do after the Kankakuk Institute? Where are Polly and I going to live? What do I want to do with my life? What can I do with my degree?

The truth is this: I will make these decisions and others when God leads me to the right things to do. I wont try to make stabs in the dark just to have answers. I trust that God will lead me where there are lots of squirrels, and if he sees fit then maybe he'll even offer me a piece of that pink sugar free gum at some point along the way.

July is Fun

Whew it is time to check in with you.

We've been so busy enjoying life that I kinda forgot that I have a blog.

I'm pretty sure that I've spent every moment since my last blog entry having a great time. That is except for when I got food poisoning on my birthday and spent the 4th of July under attack of some vile thing that was in the king crab dinner I had.

But alas, I shook back and had a great rest of the week.

We love our employers! They treat us like family. We love hanging out with them and also Mary's fam bc we get to be a part of family atmosphere (which we need in our lives).

So we hosted Scott again for the better part of a week. He and I caught some salmon. We all hiked up Mt. Roberts. Polly and I really enjoyed Scott's company.

Polly and I have been hanging out on sandy beach a lot.  I make a fire and then we only pause our reading to roast weenies or make s'mores... I also write thank you notes while out there.

It's just what I do ok.

Our friend Kelly got us free spots on a SWEET tour that involved taking a helicopter to the ice fields, landing on a glacier, and being pulled on a sled by Alaskan huskies that have done the iditarod race (google it).

 And yes I named this puppy Craig Michael Turner.

That was almost as cool as the weekend trip we just got back from. Me, Polly, Josh Garmon, Mary, David, Kelly, and Marg hopped on a float plane and flew across the ice fields to the Taku Lodge which is on the Taku River and looks out at the Hole-in-the-Wall Glacier. (oh yes, something this awesome exists).

We ate a grilled salmon feast (nature's solution to cleaning off the grill) and then took a 20minute boat ride to a guy's 60th birthday party. We got off the boat and Josh says, "where the heck are we?" which is exactly what I was thinking. So we partied with some backwoods Alaskans and then went back to the lodge to stay the night.

When we got back to Juneau on Sunday, Polly and I spent the day with Mr. Howard and Mrs. Judy Doughty. We went out to the Mendenhall with them and hiked a little bit to Nugget Falls. We were glad to get to see and hangout with them!

I'm so proud of Josh and Kyle. They have been appointed to leadership positions in the Juneau Men's Project because staff just left. Kyle is the Project Director, and Josh is the Director of Manhood Development.  They are both perfect for those positions, and project is in good hands with Kyle and Josh leading it.

Those are some legit dudes.

Speaking of legit dudes... None other than The Michael S. Plette (aka the most attractive man in the world) is set to arrive in Juneau today. I can't wait to give that dude a hug before I push him into the ocean. He doesn't know it, but we are going to make him cook gumbo at Mary's house one day this week. I cooked crawfish bisque for them last week, and it was a hit. So they want to experience more Louisiana food.

Well I'm not sure when I will blog next, but in the meantime you can find me in downtown Juneau, Alaska - where we happily break out our shorts and t-shirts on 70 degree days like today.

 I almost sweated yesterday...

I need to go to bed because it's 2am, which is actually not too far from sunrise.

But I don't want to end this entry without a shout out to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Polly and I are blessed to be living this good good lifestyle. We feel so fortunate to be able to be here with a roof over our heads and food in the fridge, not to mention getting to do all the amazing things that we are getting to do. I don't want to trip like we could've pulled this off on our own, and I don't believe in luck.

Where the Whale and the Polar Bear Run

Man I love me some John Denver

It has been quite awhile since I told you what is going on with Polly and I. So here we go...
We've gotten settled in to our apartment nicely.  After cooking with a headlamp, sleeping on camp beds, and having to look at a wall full of star wars posters for 3 weeks; we bought a nice bed off of craisglist, got our kitchen light fixed, and our wall tapestry from urban outfitters arrived to cover up yoda (I was just thankful that Jabba-the-hut wasn't on a poster).

Meanwhile.

Polly and I hiked out the the ice caves at the Mendenhall Glacier and had us a nice little pick nick.

We went kayaking with our dear friend Mary.

We built a fire on sandy beach and watched a beautiful sunset.

We hung out with Josh, Kyle, and our new friend Ann on the docks at Auk Bay

We have packaged and sold too many bars of soap to count.

We got to hangout with Scott when he came to Juneau and stayed a couple of nights with us.

And lately we've been doing some salmon fishing.

This week we have been working a lot more than usual because Mrs. Pat and Mr. Jimmie took their youth group on a mission trip to Palmer, AK.

I am looking forward to getting out into some nature more in July because we have just gotten used to our apartment and work routine.

It has been such a blessing for us to be here.  We have experienced a lot of stress relief and a nice break from lives of business and being pulled in many different directions at the same time.  Nowadays, work pulls me 6 blocks down the hill from my apartment 5 days a week, and the only other pull I feel is nature.  The good thing about nature in Alaska during the summer is that I've got an 18 hour window of time to see to it everyday.

I really really wish you (yes you, whoever you are) would come up here and experience life in Juneau with us.

To finish out this blog, I want to tell you about something that happened yesterday...

A friend of mine and Polly's stopped by the soap shop yesterday and told us about a conversation that she had with one of her co-workers.  The co-worker asked our friend, "Do you really believe all of it (the Bible)?" 

"yes"

"really?"

"yes"

"all of it?"

"yes!"


That made me smile.

So

Do you really believe all of it?

really?...All of it?

If you don't know whether you do or not, and you want to talk about it. Shoot me an email at andygrass100@gmail.com

Tyrus Lamar Pendergrass

Blog readers, I apologize for the lengthy gaps in my blogs lately. There is just so much life to live in Juneau, and we don't have our own internet in our apartment. I would love to update you on what has been going on with Polly and I, but today is a special day that calls for a special blog.

Today is June 19, 2011 - Father's Day

As I was sitting and thinking about my Dad in church this morning in Juneau at 11am, my Dad was probably at my brother Jeremy's house in Ruston, LA hanging out with Jeremy, Emery, Luke, my mom, and Emery's fam at what would be 2pm his time.

Man I really wish that I could have been there to give my Dad a hug.

I like hugging my Dad, but sometimes his glasses are hanging from around his neck and I'm afraid that they are going to break when our chests meet.

Anyway, I take my Dad for granted. Always have.

I thought about how tons of sons don't worry about breaking their Dad's glasses when they hug him because they never hug him. Some wouldn't even know their dad if he was in the same room with them. And some would rather give their dad a firm handshake and a weak smile because their relationship was never one where love was shown. Yes, some sons would probably rather take a swing at their dad than hug him.

Hugging my Dad isn't the only thing I like about him though. Oh no, I could make a huge list. So, I will just stick to the things that I like about him most.

My dad has always been available. It has been such a blessing for my whole family that my dad's job has allowed him to be available and present whenever we need him. Even though I'm willing to bet that it's not always super convenient for him. I always thought that it was awesome that he could be at all of my baseball games in high school (they began at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and he worked til 5 but he would take off). That was really cool, and he was always noticeable in the crowd because he wore a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off of his neck. I have never told him that I liked that, but I really liked it a lot.

My Dad has always pushed me to do things that are honorable, respectable, and purposeful. I can't say that I've always done those things. Actually, I don't think I could say that I've often done those things, but I probably would have never done anything that had those characteristics if my dad didn't always advise my towards them(no wonder he is good at his job). One thing that is true for as long as I can remember is that Dad has been a good role model for doing things that are honorable, respectable, and purposeful.

My Dad's love for me doesn't have a limit. He has been upset with me a lot, mad at me a lot, disappointed with me a lot. But he has never abandoned his post as a loving father. He has been patient with me a lot, prayed for me a lot, and worked things out for me a lot.

Dad has never ceased to be interested or involved in my life. He wants the best things for me and now Polly as well.

I have never ever EVER needed anything that my dad wouldn't either provide me with or help me get.

I am so thankful for my father.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

I desire to honor my father and my mother, and I aim to do so by not departing from the way they trained me to go.

The blessing of having a father like mine should not go unnoticed by his son. There have been a bunch of times when I have not obeyed my dad and didn't listen to him. Probably every kid does his own thing sometimes (maybe not quite as much as I do), but it doesn't negate the things I have learned from Dad.

there are plenty of things that my Dad has taught me by the way he lives his life that I have chosen to follow after and duplicate in my own life.

Dad emailed me and Jeremy and Tristan the other day to thank us for something, and at the end of the email he told us that we had grown into fine men.

I cannot even express how deeply that pleased my soul.

My whole life I've heard people call me grandfather and my dad fine men. It always made me so proud to be their son and grandson.

So, for my dad to call me a fine man is not a small compliment to me. It is a huge affirmation that encourages me!

So obviously, this blog goes out to my Dad.

Thanks Dad. I love you.

God Bless America

Whewww we are glad to be back in the United States of America.

Don’t tell any Canadians you know, but I am not a fan of their country.  I don’t think Polly is too fond either. They can have their metric system.  We’ll do just fine with our miles, inches, yards, pounds, and gallons. 

Ok. Some things in Canada are cool like the Canadian Rockies and all the wildlife that tends to hangout on the Al-Can highway.

But Alaska is so much better….Ok so I’m mostly happy to be back in the US because things aren’t as expensive and I can use American dolla-dolla bills yall again.

So a quick update:  Polly and I camped out by a frozen lake last night at Summit Lake Campground along the Al-Can Highway.  I’d tell you where it is located but all I could say is the longitude and latitude.  No civilization for miles.  It was a lot of fun for us-our first campout together as married people. Oh, and it didn’t get dark until midnight.

Yesterday (Saturday) we drove the rest of the way to Skagway and stayed in the Skagway Home Hostel which still smells the same as it did two years ago….soupy

Polly and I are on the ferry from Skagway to Juneau right now! Aren’t you so excited?  We just saw Polly’s first whale!  Oh yeah, we did end up seeing tons of cool animals yesterday on the last leg of our drive.

Black Bear: 14

Elk: 8

Caribou(tay): 2

Moose: 2

Buffalo: 10

Bald Eagle: 1

Pretty cool stuff for a couple of yahoos from Louisiana.

So this afternoon/tonight we are planning on hanging out with Josh and Kyle.  Funny story, when we were leaving the hostel in Skagway this morning, we saw “Thanks from Bunkie, LA” written on the white board in the kitchen.  Definitely Josh’s handwriting.

It is so weird to be 4000 miles from home, but have some home waiting for you at your destination.

Speaking of home

When we got into Skagway and all the cruise ships were docked, I felt this odd sense of being home.  I think a combo meal of being back in the USA and seeing things that I remembered so vividly from last time made me feel that way.  Then the realization that I am home for now hit me.  Polly and I don’t have a dwelling except for the one we are moving in to on Tuesday (326 4^th Street.  Juneau, AK 99801.   mail us something).  We are our own family unit.  Wherever we go together to reside is home for us.  It’s a really different feeling than anything else I’ve felt.

I am thankful that God has brought us to this place.  I am also thankful to have a wife who had the guts to make this move with me, and we are both thankful to have families that support us like they do.

The world is smaller than you think.  Get out there and see it.

This Girl Is Following Me Everywhere I Go

aaaaalright.  so a lot of you have pre-requested that I blog so you can stay updated on us.

Nosey aren't ya?

 ah what the heck...  I enjoy updating you on the adventure lifestyle.

while all of you (meaning most of you) live your stable, planned out lives.

Polly and I are just doing what we can.  Not really having too much idea of what life is going to look like on the horizon.

I get jealous of you, you get jealous of us. That's the way it works I guess.

One thing I am getting good at is thanking God every time he gets us to whatever the horizon happens to be.

oh. By the way, I want to say a HUGE thanks to Jake Dugard for re-designing my blog.  He did a great job didn't he.  - rhetorical question,  because I know the answer.


So what has been happening?

Well on Sunday night, Polly and I loaded up and drove to Little Rock and stayed at my Uncle Tracy's house so that we could get a little head start on our drive.

Monday we drove straight north to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and then headed west to stay the night in Chamberlain, South Dakota (which is right on the Missouri River).  For lunch on Monday, we stopped by Kansas City to see my brother Steele.  He was kind enough to treat us to some authentic Kansas City BBQ.  What a guy right?

yum

On Tuesday, we got up and after dusting a sub-par continental breakfast off our shoulders, we drove to Billings, Montana where we stopped at Montana Brewing Company (it was a re-visit for me).  We started with the sampler then Polly got a Taco Salad (all you tech students who eat on campus can eat your hearts out) and I got the Black Jack Bison Burger...because it was so incredible two years ago that I remembered it.

With full stomachs we headed to Cabela's to buy some Bear Pepper Spray.  I tasted it, it's not too bad.

Annnnd then we drove north to Great Falls, Montana where we stayed the night.

Wednesday morning we left our Holiday Inn and drove to Canada....well sort of.  When we got to the border they did background checks on us, which took like an hour.  They probably re-checked mine like 10 times because I look so dang lethal.  Then they told us that we weren't welcome in Canada because I was packing heat.  So they sent us back across the border, and we drove to the nearest town, where we went mud riding in the Honda on their mud streets until we found the nearest honky-tonk.  In this honky-tonk was a guy named Danny.  I convinced Danny that he needed a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum, and he bought it for $300.  It blue books for $345 so I feel like I did ok.  Then we drove back to Canada, and this time they let us in.  Even though they still probably didn't like letting a lethal looking foreigner like me in their turf, and I think they suspected that Polly was smuggling in fruit and firewood.

ANYWAY. we wasted no time driving to Banff where it has been gloriously CLOUDY the whole stinking time.  But we have still been able to catch glimpses of Banff's beauty...

Our first night in Banff we stayed in this very trendy hotel called Banff Aspen Lodge.  Super cool place.  We ate supper at a place called The Keg...we thought it was going to be like burgers and stuff, but it was actually a really fancy steakhouse that we were not prepared for(financially).  We ordered their cheapest items and enjoyed our meal, and we tried to keep in mind that it wasn't the restaurant's fault that it wasn't what we thought it was.

The next day (Thursday) we had a "Rocky Mountain Continental Breakfast" featuring local bakery bread and the hotel's homemade granola (they were supper eco friendly).  Then we headed to Lake Louise and Lake Moraine.  I hadn't been to Lake Moraine before, and I am glad Polly and I went because it was amazing.  On our way back from Lake Moraine we saw a rushing river that we thought was cool so we stopped the car, threw on our hiking shoes, and tumbled down a SUPER STEEP piece of mountainside to get to the river.  It was worth it.

oh and Polly got up in a porcupine's grill to get a pic of it.  I have to give her props for getting as close as she did.  Even though they can't do anything, I didn't expect Polly to be fearless like she was.

2 slaps on me for underestimating.

After getting a little snow on our shoes and a lot of dirt on our rear-ends, we took the party back to Banff to check into our new hotel, the Brewster Mountain Lodge.  It is very....lodgey.

We did some Facebook picture posting, then went out on the town.  First stop - Maple Leaf restaurant (because we earned a $25 voucher there when we booked at Brewster) where we had fondue for two and asparagus tempura.

Then we walked down to the Banff Brewing Company to have a pint while we watched the Bulls get beat by the Heat.  We think the NBA finals will be a good series, and we have decided that we are going to root just a tad more for the Heat, but we can be happy with a Mavs win because they deserve a championship.

ok

We love Banff!

Tomorrow we will begin our journey through beautiful British Columbia.  We are planning on making it to Fort Nelson, BC.  Then Saturday we are planning to drive the last leg of the journey to Skagway, Alaska.  I hope to blog again at Skagway or on Sunday when we get to Juneau.  Hopefully we will have more pictures of wildlife to post.

Tug-of-War

As my time in Ruston reaches its end, I feel a tug-of-war emotionally.  Polly and I are leaving behind family, friends, and our church. 

I think if Plette hadn't just left I wouldn't feel quite as ready to leave as well.  I feel a little bit like the last man standing, even though that will actually be Jake when I leave.  I realized yesterday that no one is left that I was friends with freshman year except Jake, and of course Beggs.  However, I don't see them much these days anyway.

I miss the heck out of the blue house boys, Plette, Bailey, Christian, Potts, and others.  I think that living in Ruston just makes their absence in my daily life more obvious.  

Then there is my job. Man- I really do hate my job. I'm a college grad and my job title has the word "boy" in it. I am surely struggling with rage because of the disrespect I am surrounded with at work. I should take it as a lesson in humility, but man it's hard for me.

Looking forward, I am so excited to move to Alaska with my wife, and then move to Branson with my wife. I'm excited about going to the Kanakuk Institute.


Peace out Ruston.... is tugging me one way.


Then I'm reminded of what I do still enjoy here. My family- Jeremy(the president), Emery(first lady), and Luke(first baby), and of course Phoebe.

Also, my church which has been a home base for me in hard times and in great times.

My wife and I walked out of College Life for the last time yesterday, and I was really really sad.  But even through the sadness I feel encouraged by what I saw as I cast one last glance at the scene of post college life social circles.

I think back to my freshman year when College Life was "Access" and was held on Tuesday nights. There was probably an average crowd of 12-15 in a circle while Jordan Smith led worship on acoustic guitar. I remember feeling like I was pretty tight with all the people in attendance.

Now, College Life is way different, but still so good. To an old guy, it seems fresh and packed with potential. I want to stay and still be a part of the worship service that I love so much. It is so full of life and growing.

Then there are great friends that I've become so close to in these recent years and months.I have so much hope in the guys that I have gotten to mentor. That they will be men of God. Men of integrity. I want to stay and see what they do for the rest of their time in Ruston.

And to be honest. I like my house, and only paying $375 to rent it ain't bad at all.


I'm comfortable here, so why not stay... is tugging me back.


I have no doubt as to whether I will stay or leave. I have both loved and hated living in Ruston, but it is very clear to me that the time has come for Polly and I to leave. I don't know if 1 person will read this blog, but if anyone who I've known while I've lived in Ruston reads this; I'd like to say that it has been a pleasure.

*picture me and Polly on the back of the train with deuces held high....you're yelling good-bye, but we can't hear you because the train won't quit blowing that damn horn.