Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that I am going to be moving in about a month. And when I'm hit with this realization, I realize that I will miss Chico-- not so much the town, but the people. I have been incredibly fortunate to have great friends around me thoughout the years that I have been in Chico, they have just been really solid. They have been rocks. I have been incredibly blessed to have met and known these people, and I wouldn't trade my time in Chico for anything in the world.

When I think back on my first year in Chico, I think of the Bible study that I had the chance to lead with Intervarsity. I was teamed with Nate, who introduced me to great beer. Before that I thought that every beer was good beer, and drank such beers such as Coors, Budweiser, Heineken, Corona, Miller... I remember Nate offering me a few days after meeing him, and I accepted. He handed me a Sierra Nevada Stout. Upon first tasting this beer, I wondered if I had been wise accepting it. Honestly, I didn't like it that much-- remember, I had been drinking light beers up until this time. It was like an assault against my tastebuds. But being the "new kid," I finished my beer. It became evident to me that if I was going to hang out with Nate, I was going to have to stop drinking what he referred to as "piss water" and start drinking real ales. Throughout that first semester Nate and I would go to the bars, and I don't think I ever offerred my opinion as to which beer we should get, instead I let him educate me. Nate and I would go onto live with each other for three years, and when I decided to move out our friendship was tested; however, it survived everything that we put it through.

To me this marked the beginning of "The Lost Boys"; "The Lost Boys" was the name of our house, and it was called that because we were often mothered by a few of our friends that were girls-- kind of like Wendy mothered the Lost Boys in Peter Pan. And while our house grew over the course of a couple years, I think when it gets down to it: Dan, Doug, Nate, and myself were/are "The Lost Boys." In Chico, I probably had the most fun living with these three guys than anyone else. We all had different personalities, but we made it work through mutual respect and love for one another. I believe that my friendship with these guys will continue for years, and if I'm lucky a lifetime. When I think of meeting the right girl, and settling down to get married, these are the guys that I always imagine as my groomsmen. I also like to imagine us going on family vacations together with our wives and children, and maybe just maybe someday our kids will get married-- then we'd really be family. I am seriously honored to know these guys.

But those aren't the only guys that I have been fortunate to meet during my time in Chico, having been a part of Intervarsity for years, I was fortunate to make many other friends as well. Friends like: Chris D, Chris W, Craig H, David E, Kerrick, Mark R, the Sri Lankans, Raf, and Ryan P. I'd like to think that I'll still be in touch with these guys even after I move. I know that I'll most likely be friends with these guys for years to come. I have more friends than these, but I imagine that these friends will come and go throughout my life. Perhaps, I'll be surprised in a few years and still be in touch with some of them.