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Kelley
and Jeff |
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| Journal |
| 1/3/2004 Last night I saw Cold Mountain with Kelley. I sat in the theatre for 2 hours and 45 minutes and would have guessed that only 10 minutes went by. The movie took me through every possible emotion I could feel and left me with a wonderful sense of peace about life, regardless of the hardships we experience through it. I'm still trying to find words to describe what all the movie did to me. Allyson Krauss had a very moving song that Sting wrote during the middle of the movie. There was also a lot of old bluegrass tunes performed by some of the actors on camera. That was pretty stinking cool too. If any of you who look at this page have a chance to go see that one, please do. It is such a wonderful movie. (a little unnecessary nudity, but if you can get past that, it's great) |
| 1/1/2004 So there we were... ...in the middle of Times Square in New York City....2 weeks ago!!! Hehe, thank the good Lord that I was not in the middle of all that hullaballoo tonight on New Years Eve. Happy New Year everyone. It's been a while since I've updated the website, but it was in desperate need of a good overhaul. A lot has happened since the summer so i guess I'll try and catch you up quickly. Kelley and I now are living in the year of our marriage date! Wahooo!! I never thought this year would come, but the time has been flying fast and I'm sure it'll only feel like an eye-bat before July 10th is here. This whole term for both Kelley and myself has proven to be a very tough and trying one. With Kelley and her psychology classes, and I and my interning, video producing, and guitar lessons, we've been up to our earlobes in alligators. I finally got the 2 nature videos completed and turned in. I'm now in the process of doing some touch-up editing to see if SCETV might be interested in them. Wish me luck! Kelley is overloading classes at USC this term to try and lighten the load for next year when we'll be married and I'll be swinging full time with the high school students. We haven't been making music publicly lately, but that doesn't mean we haven't been making music. Though she'll say so reluctantly, Kelley has been rocking it out with learning the guitar here lately. I've given her my old Gibson J-60 bluegrass guitar (hard to part with) and she actually puts a lot of time in. It sounds SO good. I've just acquired a new banjo as you might have noticed from the pictures and I've been grinning much more than picking for the past week. I'm trying though. It's a blast. I'll be starting my student teaching at E.L. Wright middle school come Jan. 20th and I'll hang out there until graduation time in may. If you're some bigwig school principle, or district administration figure, please give me a job!!! ;) Anyway. That was a really quick catch up for a whole lot that has been going on. Check out the quicktime files of the nature video on the new page. God bless and happy trails. Sincerely, Jeff G. |
| 8/13/03 I got in trouble big time last night. For the first time in a long while, I stayed out till about 1am. I was playing guitar with an old friend from high school that was in town and we completely lost track of time as we brought back to life the music of our high school days as well as shared our recent songs and inspiring artists. It really was a great time. Not in a long while have I been able to play guitar with someone who understands the instrument the way I do, but is much better than me. We blended notes and chords as well as sang the smoothest harmonies to our favorite songs until I realized that it was 12:45am and I hadn't talked with Kelley since before 8pm. Kelley didn't like the fact that I forgot to call very much. I can't say that I blame her either. Stupid move Jeff. More later. Jeff |
| 8/5/03 Sorry it's been a couple weeks since I've really messed with the website. I'm in the middle of some "around the house" jobs right now to try and earn some extra money. In addition, I've started up a tiny craft business and I'm making some pretty artsy hiking sticks. For those of you wondering what the heck the Crooked Canyon link is on the main page, I'm trying to build a little site for the hiking sticks. Keep checking back on that. We'll probably have that up and running within a week or so. I'm really proud of the sticks I've done so far. Most have some sort of wood burning or carving on them, usually centered around animal and nature themes. I've found a new hobby. I've pretty much gotten nowhere with getting my broken speaker fixed. I've been given the usual run-around with it. Maybe we should just go play the pizza place again. I'll let you guys know. Just check out the calander page in about a week. Thanks to all who visit. Drop a line in the guestbook and let me know who and how you are. Jeff |
| 7/27/03 With one week to go for summer classes and only a year of school left, my mind races daily about the future. It's so hard to "live in the now" and bloom where I'm planted when our wedding is under a year away and so is the start of my teaching career!!!! Keeping my feet on the ground is such a struggle! On a business note. For those interested in some more "kelley and jeff" shows, just be patient. We've had a recent equipment damage that we're trying to work out and we can't play public without our wonderful equipment. Billy Wilson at La Pizza Cucina called me up last week and offered to cover the damage to our broken speaker...which was VERY kind. As soon as we're up and running, you all will know. Thanks Jeff |
| 7/20/03 Some days you got it, and some days you don't. I was so excited about playing at the pizza place last night. I told a lot of people (only a few showed up...you know who you are...thanks!), brushed up on some old songs I hadn't done in a while and just got down-right pumped up to sing. Things went well for about the first 30 minutes and then one of the waiters ran by and just knocked down one of my speakers and cracked that sucker right open. I mean this guy was upwards of 220lbs and he just plowed right into my flimsy little speaker stand. No "I'm sorry", No "let me pay for that"....just a simple "Oh cool....it still works" after I talked through the mike and some sound managed to escape out. He later apologized, but still made no effort to reimburse me. I guess it would be like me getting drunk and going around behind the bar smashing all the unopened wine bottles and just saying "oh cool we can still sop up the wine off the floor". I didn't make a scene and I didn't ask him to pay. I figured with a situation like that it would just be better to not burn bridges and to soak up the cost myself. I'm probably retarded. |
| 7/15/03 What a mind job is the game of golf. Often associated with rich snotty men wearing pants that are too short and socks that are too high, hitting around some funny looking white pill on grass that never would realistically grow the way those overpaid greenskeepers grow it. Vandy is teaching me to play. Boy have I picked up something that is going to teach me humility!!!!! Interestingly enough...I'm finding that the tricks that are most effective for me are those that mandate that I stop thinking and just start swinging. It's kind of like that Bagger Vance movie with Will Smith. I've gotta "get in the field". |
| 7/15/03 tickle the lizard...kiss the old frog...stretch out the gizzard....pour some more grog |
| 7/10/03 One Year From Our Wedding Date!!! For all of you who don't know....Kelley and I are engaged and will be getting married next summer on July 10th. WAHOOOO!!!! Pretty exciting times! Anyway. We finally get to start counting down from a year away. Long engagments are not cool!!! :) But we must do what we must do. Today was filled with teaching the biology of water systems to 8 kids in a "Gear-Up" program at Midlands Technical College here in Columbia. It's in association with my education classes at USC and our team rocks!!! There are 5 of us "teachers" in the "water quality" group, and we're leading the kids through an extreme week of learning about water quality, water system pollution, and such by having them completely design their experiments and then prepare a presentation based on their findings. It's pretty cool, but it's a lot of hard work when you leave the lessons open-ended like that. Good practice for teaching though. Jeff "Go make your next choice, be the best choice and if you're looking for a guy with a voice well baby I'm single Are you in the mood for some dude, are you in the mood to be subdued or would you rather just mingle? Let's get set then, to go then Let us jet set, be like the Jetsons You could be Jane my wife, should I Mary Jane tonight?" - Jason Mraz |
| 7/9/03 Wednesday night...way too late Tonight Kelley and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean.....we really liked it. Surprisingly, Johnny Depp gave a very unique and enthralling performance as Captain James Sparrow. I have spent much too much time on the Derek Webb web discussion forum lately seeking out answers to the mystery I find in my walk with God. Be them issues of inerrancy of the scriptures to the paraoxical nature of God, I find myself treading water in this ocean of ideas that people throw out freely and confidently. The differences in opinion baffle me, as well as the amount of closemindedness. Some speak of tolerance like it was a bad thing....openmindedness as if it were a plague to Christianity. Why? What is the point in boxing up our faith and limiting God and His ablities. I can understand standing up for what you believe in.....but why be exclusive and stand-off-ish if you are so blessed to claim Christ as your saviour. Shouldn't you be more interested in being thankful for your blessings and therefore sharing the Good News, not the clubhouse rules? "I'm a down home brother redneck under cover with my guitar here I'm ready to play and I'm a sucker for a filly got a natural ability geared to freestyle look at my flexibility" - Jason Mraz |
| 7/8/03 TUESDAY I mistook today for Monday. Think about all the implications that carries with it. All "scheduled events" were completely forgotten about including 2 guitar lessons with some very neglected students (Sorry Ben and Vandy). I mean really...how dumb can I get. other lessons learned the hard way: always look before pulling out in front of a car....especially if you're on a motorcycle |
| 7/6/03 I spent the Sabbath doing the one thing I wasn't supposed to......work....however, in my current condition of untidiness, I'll have to enact the "cleanliness is next to Godliness" rule and ask for forgiveness. I think the results of getting an entire week's worth of preparation done for the students I'll be team-teaching this week at Midland's Tech, washing my car, helping Dad wash his car, cleaning my room, editing videos for school, and paying bills really payed off. I feel like a load has been lifted. It's amazing that you really don't have time for simple things like that in a normal week of going to class all day, teaching guitar lessons, and spending QT with your finance. Or maybe it's just that I'm a slacker. Probably. |
| 7/4/03 I know nobody comes to this website to read my silly journal articles or to see the next time we play, but I hope that you will eventually. I'm trying to work hard on it for everyone :) Happy 4th of July! Today I got on a kneeboard for the first time in about 5 years. I actually successfully completed a 360 turn while outside the wake. Pretty fun. The day was spent fishing, playing watersports, singing (and playing guitar), hanging around my future in-laws, and being in charge of the most impressive fire-works display since July 4th 1776 if I don't say so myself. Jason Mraz has been the music of the week in my head, and Kelley has been more excited about his new CD than I have. Go check out his stuff at www.jasonmraz.com No profound thoughts for tonight. Only a thankful heart for the freedoms that we still enjoy as a nation, and a hopeful heart that the freedoms that have been taken away will soon return. jeff |
| 7/3/03 I've been in to making nature videos lately after I had to do one as a project for my masters program at USC. In the process of doing so yesterday I caught a really nifty little lizard on camera yesterday as a friend of mine was filming. Some common lizards in the SC area (not including salamanders) are the Carolina Anole, Five-lined skink, blue-tailed skink, and this little guy that I caught that I have no idea what it is! :) It's kind of rough and scaly like a horned lizard would be, but that's not what it is I don't think. Anyway. That little sucker's quick as lightning....lucky for my "cat-like speed and reflexes" I caught the naughty little guy! Addendum to the calendar....Emmett WILL NOT be there Saturday at the show at La Pizza Cucina. So it'll be a solo deal. Please come out and hear me!!!!! |
| 6/30/03 So....how about that big bust on Saturday night. To all who showed up despite the double-booking at La Pizza Cucina, thank you. Man I wish I could have played....that was the biggest crowd of people that came to hear me yet, and I couldn't even exploit...I mean play for you guys!!!! ;) Well for the die-hards, I will be playing this Saturday for sure. Kelley will be out of town on vacation with her family, but Emmett Stallings will be coming down to help out and it'll be a blast....it just won't have Kelley's sweet, angelic, sirenesque voice. Bring your friends, bring your dog, bring your pet fish, I don't care! Just come out. Okay....enough sales pitches. Today I took my guitar to class to play for my teacher because she had come out Saturday and was not able to hear me play. I stayed after class and showed her some of my more recent songs. It never ceases to amaze me how God can use us as His vessels. My teacher was struggling with how to talk to a close friend of hers about spirituality considering her friend's current situation. Hearing the words put to music that I found gave her a bit of clarity...not necessarily an answer to what she needs, but a reassurance of her faith and the potency of God's will in our lives. How humbling is that?! |
| 6/25/03 7:10pm Today was the first day in about 3 weeks that I've been able to breathe...well not really but you know what I mean. Hussle and Bussle in and out from sun up to set i'm worn slap out. I actually had time to run down to the pond and pick some blackberries. This is my favorite time of the summer....when the blackberries get ripe. There's just something about standing by the water, watching the geese fight and honk about God knows what and getting thorns stuck in your hand as you sweat and to try and grab a bitter fruit with so many seeds in it that you spit them out even 3 hours later. It really was a wonderful time. Mom will make a cobbler with some of the berries and the rest I get to eat. I was realizing, though, as I was standing in the kitchen eating black berries, that it's just not as fun eating them inside where the airconditioner is running full throttle as it is handpicking them out by the pond with the sun beating down on you and quiet sound of the water lapping at the bank. The grass is always greener. |
| 6/25/03 "The man bent over his guitar, A shearsman of sorts. The day was green. They said, 'You have a blue guitar, You do not play things as they are.' The man replied, 'Things as they are Are changed upon the blue guitar.' And they said then, 'But play, you must, A tune beyond us, yet ourselves, A tune upon the blue guitar of things exactly as they are'" - Wallace Stevens Kelley read this in a book for one of her classes at USC. I think it's interesting how music can be a vehicle to express what we see daily, yet as soon as that music rings out, those daily things are then transformed into things of elevated significance or mystery. The ability a good songwriter has to restate life and put it to music so that everyone who listens stands dropped-jawed at their art because of its depth and yet its simplicity is a very special ability indeed. That's why I love listening to David Wilcox. |
| 6/24/03 (10:32pm) I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now for class, but am swimming in apathy and find it hard to be motivated. (Mark, "come on in, the water's fine"!!!!....that's just for you buddy) All that keeps running through my head is the sound of my favorite CD right now...Derek Webb "the church". "i am my beloved's and my beloved's mine so you bring all your history and I'll bring the bread and wine and we'll have us a party where all the drinks are on me as surely as the rising son, oh you will be set free" -Derek Webb Nothing else to say right now. More tomorrow. |
6/24/03 Wow....Today I finally finished this silly web page!!! I feel similar to Samwise Gamgee - "I feel as if I am in a song".......or maybe it's more like that scene from the Matrix when the computer says "knock knock Neo" and he opens the door and the guy at the door says "hey man you're looking a little paler than usual...maybe you need to unplug or something"..............yep.........that's definitely the way I feel. hehe. I hope all of you kind folk who have taken time out of your day to come to our page, check out the cool stuff and even come to the silly journal page have enjoyed yourselves. Please come back often as I will be updating the site frequently with events, pictures, lyrics, and all sorts of stuff. For those of you who didn't read the calendar Kelley and Jeff will be at La Pizza Cucina this Saturday night from 7-9:30pm or so. There's no charge, but please buy a pizza and a beer for those good folks down there. Come out to have some fun and we'll play some good music for ya. Much Love Jeff |