The Vagabond Tour, or, My Life is About to Change Drastically

G'day.

The name's Peter. But you may already know that. I just hopped on to tell you a story about life - my life to be exact. It is an interesting one, and it is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Let me begin.


Hit the rewind button and we are taken back to March-ish. Around this time, I decided that I was going to go on an "extravagant vacation." I wanted to be a beach bum in Florida for a couple months. No responsibility, no due dates, no commitments. Just me, the beach, and... well... me. I distinctly remember mapping out my first draft of my trip on April 2nd. I spent the next month or so dreaming of the possibilities as I traveled the country. The risks, the excitement, and the memories made. I think a good word to describe me at this time was "giddy."

About the second week into May, my mind began to be uneasy about the trip. Not because it was unsafe or unwise to do it, but something I couldn't really describe. Just a simple uneasiness. I prayed a whole lot for direction to know what was needing to happen - whether I should cancel my trip, or plan something else... I wasn't sure! All I was sure of was that I felt God calling me to do something different.

I don't remember the date, but late one night, I couldn't really sleep. My mind had been racing about a bunch of random things. One of those things was how I was being a selfish person for spending so much time and money on this trip for no reason other than I WANTED TO... The next thing I know, I am googling information on Mother Teresa. I found a movie online about her and decided to watch it...

It starts with her as a nun in Calcutta, India. One day, she begins to feel that she should be doing something more... She eventually left her abbey to serve the poor. The rest of her life was dedicated to humanitarian efforts and the betterment of those suffering.

Needless to say, I shed a few tears and had A LOT on my mind. My mind was racing even more than it was earlier! I could no longer go on a vacation. I just could not be that selfish... God wanted me to know that I should be doing something else. I contemplated what that "something else" was for a while after that. It was driving me crazy! Should I donate all the money to a certain cause? Should I put my money into bettering my situation (education, work, etc.) so that I could help with something greater down the road? The praying didn't stop as I tried to figure out what God wanted me to do with my time and money.

One day, I get a little package in the mail. It was the long awaited Tony Bracelet + DVD from Invisible Children. I had been waiting for this for a while now [I had even called Invisible Children a couple times about it]. That night, I popped the DVD in my computer and began watching.

This documentary had a few stories within it. First, it summed up the efforts of Invisible Children and the history of the war going on in Central Africa. Second, it told the story of a man named Tony, whom has been tied to Invisible Children since the very beginning. Lastly, it told of a man named Nate Henn. Nate was a volunteer for Invisible Children. He quit his job and put his life on hold for roughly a year to travel across the US and spread the message of Invisible Children. While on tour, he was able to develop great friendships with Tony and others from Uganda. Well after the tours had ended and Tony had gone back to Uganda, Nate had the opportunity to go to Africa to see his friends. While there, he was caught in a terrorist bombing and was killed.

As the movie ended, I fought through my tears to face the answer that I had prayed for: I need to go on tour: The Vagabond Tour. I revised my trip to hit more major cities, and less of my vacation destinations. I started to create a vision for my summer, in which I would spend each day promoting a cause that can change and save lives. That, I feel, is what God is calling me to do this summer.

Most days, I will be sleeping in my car, eating at the mercy of others, and hopefully sparking a new light in the lives of complete strangers. I will be offering free hugs and thoughtful conversation, I will be showing Invisible Children DVDs as much as I can, and learning A LOT about myself and this huge community that I am wrapped up in. I hope to make a lot of friends along the way, experience a new life, and learn what God wants me to learn from this.

What better way to spend a month of my life? Lets take liberation to a whole new level. See you on the road!

[The Vagabond Tour 2011 is dedicated to Kyle Hutchings and Nate Henn. Their passion for life and service lives on.]

Many Moons Later...

Well, fancy seeing you here! 

I hope you didn't think I died or anything, because I didn't. I just quit writing for a while... No reason as to why, but it just didn't happen. I guess I was busy.

Anyway, I suppose I will update you on a few things since my last update in February (I think...)

Here goes:

- Washington DC. I was there for 6 days, and while there I had THE TIME OF MY LIFE. It was so crazy to be able to see the monuments, the museums, etc. with such fun people!

- Holi Festival of Colors. Great times throwing colored chalk in the faces of strangers, all while learning about and enjoying a different culture.

- Engagements and Weddings. I swear, people are getting engaged (and/or married) left and right! My long time PGF left me for another man and now they are getting married. My greenie from my mission got married. A neighbor or two tied the knot. Friends and peers that I have gone to school with... DANG.

- We had our yearly family Easter Hunt. We went all around the valley and ended up at the Popes Table. A favorite tradition of mine. Thanks mom!

- I was asked to be in an art show, so since the 23rd of April, some of my homemade shirts have been on display! They will be in the show until the 31st of May. Crazy... My stuff is feet away from a national artist, whose art is selling for over $1000. Holla!

- Attended many celebrations. From rock concerts to pow-wows. My Chemical Romance, Coheed & Cambria, Neon Trees, & more. I must say that the pow-wow tops them all!

- Conference and Mission Reunion. It is always so good to see all my mission buddies. I miss the mission like crazy! Ugh!

- I started the Praise Project. Nuff Said.

- Planned my Vagabond Vacation. I am counting down the days that I get to hit the road and visit 21 states, including crossing off a bucket list item: Be a Beach Bum. I will be gone for over a month - traveling the country!

- My good friend Molly Anderson got home from her mission in San Bernardino California. Welcome home!

- I graduated! I am officially an Associates Degree holder as of May 5th. I graduated in Political Science.

That is all for now... Have a blessed day.

Around These Parts, It's Called "Growing Up"

A lot of my posts are about change. I suppose it may be due to the fact that I am changing: My [dis]likes, my style, my hobbies, etc.

Some say that it is because I am growing up. Whether that is true or not, I cannot say. Growing up or paying attention... whatever you wanna call it, it is happening.

With that said, the most recent acknowledgement to my "growing up" is a slight change in music likes... ok, lets get serious, it is solely dislikes. I have been listening to some music lately and thought, "you know what? I could never hear this band again and be completely ok with that." Let me share with you the list. Yes, THE LIST.

***Note: The bands mentioned below are all bands that I once listened to. Recently I have realized that, as mentioned above, "I could never hear this band again and be completely ok with that."***

Beastie Boys
"Sabotage" came on the radio the other day and I paused for a moment to listen to what was transpiring: The Beastie Boys are really obnoxious. End of story. They don't sing, but rather perform with a hybrid shout/whine/imitate a dying pig. There was so much random noise to serenade the awful tone of their voice that I had to change the station. Just then, all of their music replayed in my head, and it was far from a pleasant experience. My least favorite of the Beastie Boys is the song, "Girls." What a degrading, shallow, and tasteless piece of composition. Beastie Boys win the Most Obnoxious Music award.

Nirvana

Kings of Grunge, Nirvana is a poster-band for the 90's. Just like any other tragic death, Cobain's drove the band to new heights. If he would have maintained life, I am sure the band would have faded out quickly. Alas, it must have been the "clout" that Nirvana fans had in the music world that lead me to my acquaintance with the band, but I never seemed to connect with the obscure lyrics and what I consider to be the worst voice in music history.

Nine Inch Nails
I don't really have much to say about NIN, other than whenever they come on the radio, I find myself dry heaving and changing the station. All of their lyrics are negative and/or inappropriate, and the overall mood that is set while their music is playing is disheartening.

Jack Johnson
Every song is the same song with different lyrics. The same song. He might as well stop writing music and start with poetry. He has some decent lyrics at times, which could easily be transformed in some worthwhile poetry. Until then, maybe he can perfect his surfing skills.

Nickelback
'Nuff said.

Maroon 5
Their first hits were all about sex. I haven't really listened since, except for the fact that they are still writing cheesy love songs. They can't perform a decent show if their lives depended on it (yes, I have seen them live... and yes, I fell asleep at the show).

Owl City
I distinctly remember hearing Todd Nuke'em introduce "Fireflies" on the radio as one that reminds him of the Postal Service. I was stoked to hear it, because I highly enjoy anything Postal Service. I listened to "Fireflies" and loved it. I even loved it the second and third and fourth and fifth time. Shoot, I even enjoyed it the tenth time. So, I get my hands on a copy of the complete collection of Owl City, and was oddly surprised to hear the same song, over and over. Funny how that happens! The problem was, unlike Jack Johnson, the lyrics were absurd and pointless. You would almost wonder if Owl City is comprised of a guy in his parent's basement who wrote music on his computer in lieu of sleeping. Insomnia is a terrible thing...

Sublime
This is a bittersweet selection. To start off, I love their style. I love the genre and the feel. I just cannot stand the lyrics. The lyrics remind me too much of rap: sex, drugs, violence, repeat. Demoralizing women is their specialty (while high off drugs). Reinforcing stereotypes that men are shallow, drunk, and horny; that women are helpless sex slaves. Definitely not worth it. Sublime wins the As Tactless As Rap award.

Devo
Note to reader: I have never been a Devo fan, and never will be. I never had a period in my life that I listened to Devo music willingly. I just felt like they needed an honorable mention on my list. A band right out of the 70's who refuses to die, Devo decided to put out an album in 2010. Every time their single came on the radio, I had to scream, tweet about my disgust, and then scream again. Luckily for me, it disappeared as quickly as it surfaced.

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Ok, when I decide I don't need something in my life any more, I tend to tear it to shreds. I apologize now for the negativity towards these musicians/bands, but it happened how it happened. I suppose I will provide a Like list in the future to act as a yin to this here yang.