Every time I've read verses like this I would always pass them by looking towards what the point was, sure I'm thankful, but what is this for? I'm tired this morning, Its thanksgiving week, I've got one small project to get out, and then get ready for Thanksgiving. I always loved the Holidays, especially the food and pies, that pumkin pie. But I still have a ton of junk to get out of my truck, its really bad how messy it is. My goal is by the end of the year all my life's memories are sorted out, rid of, and organized. Sip some coffee, I read and think, I find myself thinking of my friends and their gifts and talents. I'm reminded of the Goonies, and the A-team, then as I sip out of my MGM studios mug, I think of all the team work that goes into making a movie. I think of all the work I do to put a video together. Then I'm reminded of a road trip my brother, 2 cousins, and I took to from Phoenix to Illinois, during the Summer of 95. We took my cousin Jonathan's 1967 mustang, my brother was the mechanic, Aaron was the navigator, I was the documenter, and it was jon's car he was the encourager. I was also the only adult, I was 18 and had just graduated from High School. We didn't make it to Illinois in the mustang, we made it to just outside Albuquerque where we totaled the mustang, and we drove the rest of the way in dads honda (long story short). I read and think, I have a problem asking for help, what I do, is I hope someone will come along side me and say would it help if I did this for you. I've been told I send a vibe that says "this is mine and mine only don't touch it" which I don't mean to send. I'm amazed on what an effect everyone has on everyone. Then you go into a place where it's evident that it's a well oiled machine. Then you hit a store where most of the staff called in sick and it's backed up with people in line behind one open register. During summer of 95, my brother and I didn't believe that Jon and Aaron were going to get us to go with them, but 6 weeks later we were on our trip, and to this day I am so happy we went through with it. Towards 4 am with Jon at the wheel and Mike in the passenger seat and us passing semi's, my brother woke up to what he thought was a semi moving over into our lane, he panicked, reached over grabbing the wheel, and turned it left, sending us off the road, Jon doing his best to get the car back in control over steered and hit the tire of the semi, sending us back off the road to a hault. We escaped quickly out of the smoking mustang and I immediately got my camera out to document everything. There we were one 18 year old and 3, 17 year olds out of the middle of no where in the early morning with a totaled car. Aaron was on the ground in a ball, John was talking to the camera, I was shooting Mike as he had glass from the shattered windshield in his head. Each one of us had a unique skill and talent that we all needed, we all got a long. Luckily a motorhome had stopped called a tow truck, we checked into a hotel, my brother made arrangements with my dad (who had the Honda waiting the past 6 weeks ready for the trip), Mike ran (with glass still in his head) to the nearest bus station, and met Aunt Ruthy in Flagstaff and we continued on our trip to Illinois. A lot of crazy things happened that summer on our way to camp in Indiana (that actual destination). When we got to camp we all went our own ways,(no point intended) I worked on videos for the camp, all the others guys did there things, but boy were we the talk of the camp that year, we were the kings. We met the last day to get ready for our trip home, only to find out the hard way that car was in need of new tires. Hits me, we needed each other that year, we had some good conversations during those long hours on the road, conversations that would never leave the car. God puts people and opportunity in my life whether family or friends for the weirdest reasons, to see the value in Him, to love each other, during any circumstance. We need encouragement that summer, we needed honesty, we needed skills, we needed navigation, and oh the memories I documented. We made it back to Phoenix a week or two after camp, then shortly after, Aaron sent us all a picture of us that was taken the night we left. All these guys were in my wedding in 2008, and we'll never forget the Summer of 95.
Left to right - me, Jonathan, Fred's foot, Aaron, and my brother Mike.
Nathan - still in Phoenix, got married in 2008, producing videos, doing commercial audio visual.
Jonathan - joined the Marine's to serve our country
Aaron - still in Phoenix, became one the pastors of the church we grew up in
Mike - still in Phoenix, got married in 1999 and a business owner
Fred's foot - never made it back to Phoenix.
The mustang - not sure what happened to it, have to ask Jonathan, I do remember we left it with the towing company with $200 cash in the ash tray, which we remembered two days later when we needed it.
Hey Nathan, I have video of Fred's Foot and it's return on our trip to SVR '95, great times man, great times.
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