It is ironic that I am typing this message on a laptop using free wifi at a Starbucks after spending $5 on a mocha. The only thing I'm missing is a prime location. I'm not sure where I went wrong in my service. This year has been a year of conviction. In the world, I am the 1%. I am the rich man. I am a rich American. I alone make more than twice the national average for household income in the US, therefore my wife can stay home. We live comfortably. We are on track to send our kids to expensive private school. Our house will be paid off in the next 3-5 years. We have a net-worth of a little under 250k. We're doing good. I'm not sure that's the way my life was intended to be lived out. I believed the messages of "needing" Christians who work among the lost but today I am questioning. What really has been gained from that? Have I bought into a well funded and popular lie?
I've always had a passion for those who were hungry or didn't have clean water. I've often thought, I would love to GO, live with and help people learn farming techniques or build wells and clean septic systems or preserve water. I am burdened at the knowledge of people dying from starvation or that their day was devoted to "surviving," that is finding water and food. Each day, working for these things. Vacation days don't exist when you're work is finding your meals. Animals live this way.
In the spring, I competed in several races with the intent to win the races. I trained hard. I spend hours pushing myself, I ate very well. Choice foods and only ate poorly on occasion. I medaled in all three events. One event, where I placed 2nd mostly because it was a tiny race, happened to be hosted by a previous employer. I saw many old friends and co-workers, several of which commented about their surprise at my "success" and current job. One person commented, "that's not what I expected." I knew instantly what he, an atheist, meant. Everyone, thought I was going to go into full-time ministry when I resigned that position. I questioned him, hoping I was wrong.
Fast forward to today, as I was chatting with a co-worker about the Occupy Austin people, talking about how homeless they appear. We agreed,their appearance, was not helping their cause. Instead, it created a large disconnect even with those who sympathize with their message. Many people think they are ridiculous and largely ignore them as they walk by. It lead me to make the statement that I don't believe in anything strong enough to do something like that. Instantly, and I mean instantly I felt conviction.
The really ironic part is that I've long held the belief we have these near religious movements, like Occupy, or Sea Shepherds, etc., etc., solely because Christians have not stood up for these ideas as good stewards of God's creation and instead have been branded as the opposite. Creating a situation that does not lend itself to the message of Christ. Instead of the Church standing UP for OR standing IN for the needs of society and the fight for justice, we've largely let secular groups and governments do the fighting.
Occupy protesters may look ridiculous and seem fanatical but I know they BELIEVE completely in their cause. My well dressed co-worker might agree with them wholeheartedly but I don't see her passion lived out. There is little sacrifice and so her belief in the cause has little impact on me. Occupy has garnered much attention. So now, I sit hear pondering everything. Whether or not I would endure the scorn of passersby, or nature's elements in a near homeless state to Occupy Austin for Christ? Would I give up my goals for a GOOD private education for my children? A debt free life, so insuranced up that I have little to fear financially from catastrophe? Do I give up my fitness goals and my love of WholeFoods for cheaper, lesser, non-organic foods? Do I sell everything and give it to the poor? Will my children look enviously at what their lives could have been? Do I lead a life where I meet every need I encounter with every resource I have been given in the proclamation of Christ?
To be brutally honest, it is easier for me to accept dying for Christ than to Occupy the World for the Gospel of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:15
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Having another kid
I think I might have seen a glimpse of what the future could be. Yesterday, my wife helped a friend out by baby sitting her 18 month old little boy. Now, I've kind of figured out that most boys aren't talking on the same level as girls the same age. I see it at church and I see it at the playground and I see it with my friends and family. This boy was no exception. He might has well not have been talking at all when compared with our Mayzie who easily throws together sentences of 7 to 15 words, can easily answer questions, perform complex tasks when asked and tell us what she wants or ask us questions. But she's a girl and girls I've noticed are much more developed in that skill than boys the same age. She recently even started saying, "Yes, sir" or "No, sir" which of course me being the parent thinks is really cute, even though I'm sure nobody else but Aunt Jackie does.
He, on the other hand, says one word at a time and they are difficult to understand. Another attribute of boys you often hear but until you experience it is hard to imagine in a daughter only family is the rough nature of boys. He threw everything. He would push something over just to push it over. He would run as fast as he could everywhere he went which of course was the opposite direction of you. He would run smack into something, an event that would bring Mayzie to tears and ask for kisses, and all he would do is roll over look at you with an "Ouch" expression but get up and start running again. All of my friends boys are just like that.
Now, he and Mayzie are just 4 months apart so it was non-stop the entire time and I found myself counting the minutes or sometimes the seconds until his mom came back. Not that he was a bad kid but really it was full-time the entire time. Mayzie will sit and play independently without destroying stuff for long periods of time. You had to keep your eye on him the entire time. Mayzie has never fallen down the stairs. In fact we don't use our baby gates and really only used them for the dogs, but he fell down the first time he went up. It wasn't a fall down gracefully either it was a, "hey this could be serious if I wasn't right here" type of fall. BTW it didn't faze him at all he wanted to keep going, but up came the baby gates.
My wife and I have talked about having a second kid here and there and we tentatively set the official "try" date as sometime in June. If it happened it happened but June was the "try" date whatever that meant. Anyway, yesterday changed that. I had been thinking that since Mayzie was going to be 2 meaning she was going to be almost 3 when the new baby came we would be able to easily transition to a 4 person family.
This shook that thought process to the core, especially if I was considering the 50/50 chance of getting a boy the second time around. Mayzie can tell us what she wants, she understands what we say. She for the past several weeks has been going peepee in the potty and tells us before hand that she needs to go which leads me to think that for sure in the next 12 months (before the baby) we'll have her diaper free. She is easy to get to bed, feed, and she'll tell us about her day and read us books. It is easy, we're on autopilot. I figured it was time for another one because it takes 9 months before you get the second one. My wife and I were non-stop the entire time, until they went to bed. Afterward I was tired, realized if they were both time, I would have had to do it all over again tomorrow and questioning my readiness to embark on having another kid.
He, on the other hand, says one word at a time and they are difficult to understand. Another attribute of boys you often hear but until you experience it is hard to imagine in a daughter only family is the rough nature of boys. He threw everything. He would push something over just to push it over. He would run as fast as he could everywhere he went which of course was the opposite direction of you. He would run smack into something, an event that would bring Mayzie to tears and ask for kisses, and all he would do is roll over look at you with an "Ouch" expression but get up and start running again. All of my friends boys are just like that.
Now, he and Mayzie are just 4 months apart so it was non-stop the entire time and I found myself counting the minutes or sometimes the seconds until his mom came back. Not that he was a bad kid but really it was full-time the entire time. Mayzie will sit and play independently without destroying stuff for long periods of time. You had to keep your eye on him the entire time. Mayzie has never fallen down the stairs. In fact we don't use our baby gates and really only used them for the dogs, but he fell down the first time he went up. It wasn't a fall down gracefully either it was a, "hey this could be serious if I wasn't right here" type of fall. BTW it didn't faze him at all he wanted to keep going, but up came the baby gates.
My wife and I have talked about having a second kid here and there and we tentatively set the official "try" date as sometime in June. If it happened it happened but June was the "try" date whatever that meant. Anyway, yesterday changed that. I had been thinking that since Mayzie was going to be 2 meaning she was going to be almost 3 when the new baby came we would be able to easily transition to a 4 person family.
This shook that thought process to the core, especially if I was considering the 50/50 chance of getting a boy the second time around. Mayzie can tell us what she wants, she understands what we say. She for the past several weeks has been going peepee in the potty and tells us before hand that she needs to go which leads me to think that for sure in the next 12 months (before the baby) we'll have her diaper free. She is easy to get to bed, feed, and she'll tell us about her day and read us books. It is easy, we're on autopilot. I figured it was time for another one because it takes 9 months before you get the second one. My wife and I were non-stop the entire time, until they went to bed. Afterward I was tired, realized if they were both time, I would have had to do it all over again tomorrow and questioning my readiness to embark on having another kid.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Summer
Yesterday it was 20 degrees at my house when I woke up. My car's water temp didn't get off the peg it was running cooler than 140. Now I know some people from colder regions would say, "that's nothing!" And I know it is. When I was a kid in Amarillo single digits are not uncommon, along with wind and snow. I've seen negative Fahrenheit and snow dunes so high we had to turn back on our way to school because we couldn't see over the dune. I would temper their reaction to my complaints about 20 degrees with my difficulty in understanding how people die in those same colder regions from temperatures in the 90's to me that's a beautiful day!
Oh well. A few days ago while everyone was a buzz about the Lunar Eclipse falling on the Solstice nothing could distract or quell my excitment and now my almost daily thoughts of how we are marching toward hot summer days. The only unfortunate things that I can think of summer is the lack of rain. Since, we have recently expereinced a very severe drought and our fall was also very dry, I am hoping we start getting some good rain.
With the steady march toward summer accompanied by my thoughts of heat and sun, I also begin thinking toward gardening and lawn care. I am excited to start preparing for the start of gardening season which kicks off aweful early here in Central Texas. This year, I'll have my normal Roma and Sweet 100 Tomatoes, plus I'll have my asparagas, watermelon, cucumber, squash and Zucchini. This year I was hoping to do some corn since we don't have the squirrel problems we've had in the past. I'd also like to start some carrots, broccoli, lettuce and spinach but this would involve me building three more raised beds and I'm not sure if I'll have the money to buy all the materials including soil.
I love growing things and building things. I really want to try and use some rain water collection but being so frugal I can't justify the large expense for the materials versus the cost of the water I end up using. It would take almost 7 years to recoup the money not to mention any maintenance needed. If it is for simply being green that's one thing, the math doesn't work for a cost savings. I also suspect the cost is inflated because of the trend that exists here.
Besides gardening, I just enjoy being outside and feeling the sun on my skin. I have a Vitamin D addiction. Running and biking and swimming are my favorites. MGM already enjoys being outside emmensly. More so that I because she'll endure cold a lot longer than I am willing to endure, for the chance to be outside. It is one of her favorite words. I guess I need to stop gushing about summer, the sun and hot temps and get to work. I just can't stop day dreaming about the days getting longer, the nights getting warmer.
Oh well. A few days ago while everyone was a buzz about the Lunar Eclipse falling on the Solstice nothing could distract or quell my excitment and now my almost daily thoughts of how we are marching toward hot summer days. The only unfortunate things that I can think of summer is the lack of rain. Since, we have recently expereinced a very severe drought and our fall was also very dry, I am hoping we start getting some good rain.
With the steady march toward summer accompanied by my thoughts of heat and sun, I also begin thinking toward gardening and lawn care. I am excited to start preparing for the start of gardening season which kicks off aweful early here in Central Texas. This year, I'll have my normal Roma and Sweet 100 Tomatoes, plus I'll have my asparagas, watermelon, cucumber, squash and Zucchini. This year I was hoping to do some corn since we don't have the squirrel problems we've had in the past. I'd also like to start some carrots, broccoli, lettuce and spinach but this would involve me building three more raised beds and I'm not sure if I'll have the money to buy all the materials including soil.
I love growing things and building things. I really want to try and use some rain water collection but being so frugal I can't justify the large expense for the materials versus the cost of the water I end up using. It would take almost 7 years to recoup the money not to mention any maintenance needed. If it is for simply being green that's one thing, the math doesn't work for a cost savings. I also suspect the cost is inflated because of the trend that exists here.
Besides gardening, I just enjoy being outside and feeling the sun on my skin. I have a Vitamin D addiction. Running and biking and swimming are my favorites. MGM already enjoys being outside emmensly. More so that I because she'll endure cold a lot longer than I am willing to endure, for the chance to be outside. It is one of her favorite words. I guess I need to stop gushing about summer, the sun and hot temps and get to work. I just can't stop day dreaming about the days getting longer, the nights getting warmer.
Friday, November 19, 2010
I understand my uncle better
I have an uncle who in high school could run a mile in the 4:40 range. Pretty fast for that time. He is now in a wheel chair, suffering the effects of diabetes. My uncle is Hispanic. Diabetes runs in my mother's side of the family. It has taken lives.
Having also been a runner in high school I often asked myself how other runners came to be in the state they were in. I didn't quite understand why. I also still have a hard time understanding why people insist that running a mile in 14minutes is actually running. But I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since at least they are moving.
Recently though, I understand my uncle better now or at least his situation better. A life of seemingly inconsequential decisions brought him to a place where huge hurdles stood in front of him and being healthy. A few months ago my wife and I pledged to eat cleaner more natural foods. We started buying more organic things, I started drinking more milk because I determined through mindful tracking that my diet was deficient in Calcium. This lead to a bowl of cereal before bed. We quit drinking soda all together except for 1 or 2 on the weekends, and almost everything we cooked was fresh.
It seemed like we were doing well, but I ate more. I must have been because I gained weight. Then work prevented me from always making my lunch workouts and since I had been working at night after the baby went to bed I didn't get up for any morning workouts either. Soon I didn't get up at all for morning workouts. I also do not trade time with the baby for a workout because I enjoy time with her more. All of this lead up to me gaining 8 lbs in the month of October(actually in about 6 weeks.) The sad thing is I didn't eat any more than 10 pieces of candy around Halloween either!
Now, I know from the past that my weight naturally hovers at 170-175. Having been at 150-155 and in the best shape of my life recently, I feel fat. I see that people who were once athletes and are now obese might have suffered the same fate. Life combined in small ways to sabotage their health.
The good thing is the last time I reached my stabilized weight range (170-175) I was running in the 8-9-10 minute mile range for a 5k. This time I can run in the 7's already. So as I make changes and become more disciplined at attending my workouts I can only get faster and slimmer. Hopefully soon I'll be back to the 18-19 minute 5k! For now I have to make small daily decisions to workout and eat less. This weekend I have the Warrior Dash and in 49 days( Jan 9th) the Bandera 50k.
Having also been a runner in high school I often asked myself how other runners came to be in the state they were in. I didn't quite understand why. I also still have a hard time understanding why people insist that running a mile in 14minutes is actually running. But I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since at least they are moving.
Recently though, I understand my uncle better now or at least his situation better. A life of seemingly inconsequential decisions brought him to a place where huge hurdles stood in front of him and being healthy. A few months ago my wife and I pledged to eat cleaner more natural foods. We started buying more organic things, I started drinking more milk because I determined through mindful tracking that my diet was deficient in Calcium. This lead to a bowl of cereal before bed. We quit drinking soda all together except for 1 or 2 on the weekends, and almost everything we cooked was fresh.
It seemed like we were doing well, but I ate more. I must have been because I gained weight. Then work prevented me from always making my lunch workouts and since I had been working at night after the baby went to bed I didn't get up for any morning workouts either. Soon I didn't get up at all for morning workouts. I also do not trade time with the baby for a workout because I enjoy time with her more. All of this lead up to me gaining 8 lbs in the month of October(actually in about 6 weeks.) The sad thing is I didn't eat any more than 10 pieces of candy around Halloween either!
Now, I know from the past that my weight naturally hovers at 170-175. Having been at 150-155 and in the best shape of my life recently, I feel fat. I see that people who were once athletes and are now obese might have suffered the same fate. Life combined in small ways to sabotage their health.
The good thing is the last time I reached my stabilized weight range (170-175) I was running in the 8-9-10 minute mile range for a 5k. This time I can run in the 7's already. So as I make changes and become more disciplined at attending my workouts I can only get faster and slimmer. Hopefully soon I'll be back to the 18-19 minute 5k! For now I have to make small daily decisions to workout and eat less. This weekend I have the Warrior Dash and in 49 days( Jan 9th) the Bandera 50k.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Communication
The baby said her first word at about 10 months old. Dog. The shortly followed by Dada she now says so many words I've lost count and when I do try and count I realize I don't remember to count all of them or I find myself guessing if I've already counted banana.
The words together with the number of signs she learned makes her really easy to understand. That of course is really only we understand because she still hasn't gotten her enunciation down well enough for non-kid people to interpret, and wow how quickly we went from no signs to lots of signs.
For a while now probably, 6-8 months, I feel like we've been at a place where we understand what she needs or wants and she knows what we want. It is a great place.
It has brought about things that I was hoping we weren't going to really have to do, but that surprisingly I'm happy to oblige. Like when she says Bus and then starts dancing. We know she wants us to sing the Wheel on the bus go round and round song. Unfortunately I'm starting to sound like a broken record and when I'm focusing really hard at work that song plays in my head.
Right now it is driving me crazy, but in a few hours when I'm at home, it will be my favorite song. Maybe my wife will consider my suggestion seriously when I say we should trade off who stays at home every two years.
The words together with the number of signs she learned makes her really easy to understand. That of course is really only we understand because she still hasn't gotten her enunciation down well enough for non-kid people to interpret, and wow how quickly we went from no signs to lots of signs.
For a while now probably, 6-8 months, I feel like we've been at a place where we understand what she needs or wants and she knows what we want. It is a great place.
It has brought about things that I was hoping we weren't going to really have to do, but that surprisingly I'm happy to oblige. Like when she says Bus and then starts dancing. We know she wants us to sing the Wheel on the bus go round and round song. Unfortunately I'm starting to sound like a broken record and when I'm focusing really hard at work that song plays in my head.
Right now it is driving me crazy, but in a few hours when I'm at home, it will be my favorite song. Maybe my wife will consider my suggestion seriously when I say we should trade off who stays at home every two years.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Joy
Being the amateur meteorologist that I like to pretend I am. I have not slept well tonight. It is 2:15am and storms have been raining since about 9pm. I should say raging. They have been brought up from the Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Hermine has drawn them as it makes its inland journey. There has been unbelievably hard rain. Most of downtown Austin has had 12inches of rain and slowing spots of 15inches or more are appearing. NOAA's radar gauge does not have a color for over 15inches of rain. Here at my house we've had at least 10inches of rain since yesterday and now my rain gauge is full. The first 5 inches were from Tropical Storm Hermine as it almost passed directly over Kyle, the last 5+ inches have just been from storms drawn up from the Gulf.
For reasons that are quite clear to me, I can't sleep during severe weather. I lived in the Texas Panhandle for 13 years as a kid. Amarillo is part of what is known as Tornado Alley. I remember fondly the terrifying rides my dad used to take us on while we "hunted" tornadoes. I remember the fire drills and tornado drills from elementary school. I remember and actually kind of miss the last Friday of every month test of the Tornado sirens in Amarillo at 9am. Here in Central Texas that tornado threat isn't as real as flash flooding.
Anyway, I got wrapped up in talking about the weather but really my post is about Joy. I enjoy making people smile. One of the reasons I married my wife is because she had a great smile. I love making our baby smile. She has a smile that can stop me and draw me into whatever she is doing. I love when they make me smile. The baby has made me smile several times this weekend. She has two little books that have babies doing various things. On one of the pages there is a baby sleeping. She will put her finger to her mouth and say, "shhh." It is so cute to me and I smile. I love watching her perform tasks and explore the world. When I see her with my wife, I can't imagine anything better in life than those two girls.
For reasons that are quite clear to me, I can't sleep during severe weather. I lived in the Texas Panhandle for 13 years as a kid. Amarillo is part of what is known as Tornado Alley. I remember fondly the terrifying rides my dad used to take us on while we "hunted" tornadoes. I remember the fire drills and tornado drills from elementary school. I remember and actually kind of miss the last Friday of every month test of the Tornado sirens in Amarillo at 9am. Here in Central Texas that tornado threat isn't as real as flash flooding.
Anyway, I got wrapped up in talking about the weather but really my post is about Joy. I enjoy making people smile. One of the reasons I married my wife is because she had a great smile. I love making our baby smile. She has a smile that can stop me and draw me into whatever she is doing. I love when they make me smile. The baby has made me smile several times this weekend. She has two little books that have babies doing various things. On one of the pages there is a baby sleeping. She will put her finger to her mouth and say, "shhh." It is so cute to me and I smile. I love watching her perform tasks and explore the world. When I see her with my wife, I can't imagine anything better in life than those two girls.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Well here it is - THREE O
I'm 30... enough said.
Ok I couldn't resist leaving it at that. I got up, dressed in my best funeral clothes. I realized my back hurt, my knees hurt, I feel BUT luckily was able to get up. I forgot where I put my keys. But things are turning around. My dentist called and said my dentures were in and at my physical my doctor turned me on to metamucil!!! YUM!
OK just kidding, I'm having a great day!
Ok I couldn't resist leaving it at that. I got up, dressed in my best funeral clothes. I realized my back hurt, my knees hurt, I feel BUT luckily was able to get up. I forgot where I put my keys. But things are turning around. My dentist called and said my dentures were in and at my physical my doctor turned me on to metamucil!!! YUM!
OK just kidding, I'm having a great day!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
20's
Well this is it. Tomorrow I will be 30 years old. I purposely added the "years old" part because, to me, it makes it sound younger. If I say, "I'm 30" it sounds so OLD.
Let's face it 30 is not old, it is the beginning of the middle ground. You're not young but you're not old either. I hate it when I hear people give grace to the stupid behavior of college students because as they say, "they're just kids" or "they're young." The same grace is given to old people, "he's just a mean old man" or "that person is old and set in their ways." As if their age some how disqualifies them from being responsible or allows justification for their actions.
No one gives 30-40 year old any kind of pass because of their age. 30-40 is the perfect intersection of age and wisdom for many people, at least those who've taken care of themselves physically and mentally. BUT there is not any kind of grace based on age like the young and old get. Everyone expects them to make the right decisions. You should have known better!! You're not 20 anymore.
My wife and I should be completely debt free by the time I'm 40. We probably will have at least two kids, possibly more and I'm sure we'll have at least one dog. And, as much as I want to resist the idea of being 30, I look forward to what the next decade will bring, good or bad. Although, I do fully intend to buy and drink a bottle of champagne tomorrow.
Let's face it 30 is not old, it is the beginning of the middle ground. You're not young but you're not old either. I hate it when I hear people give grace to the stupid behavior of college students because as they say, "they're just kids" or "they're young." The same grace is given to old people, "he's just a mean old man" or "that person is old and set in their ways." As if their age some how disqualifies them from being responsible or allows justification for their actions.
No one gives 30-40 year old any kind of pass because of their age. 30-40 is the perfect intersection of age and wisdom for many people, at least those who've taken care of themselves physically and mentally. BUT there is not any kind of grace based on age like the young and old get. Everyone expects them to make the right decisions. You should have known better!! You're not 20 anymore.
My wife and I should be completely debt free by the time I'm 40. We probably will have at least two kids, possibly more and I'm sure we'll have at least one dog. And, as much as I want to resist the idea of being 30, I look forward to what the next decade will bring, good or bad. Although, I do fully intend to buy and drink a bottle of champagne tomorrow.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
I'm lazy!
It has been quite a while since I've had any REAL training plan that I followed. I did a 10k this spring but I just went out there an winged it.
Even though I've been doing a lot of work around the house and haven't just totally turned into a vegetable. I think I've watched less than 10 hours of TV in the past 2 months.
We have been in our new house for just under a month and with all the crazy things going on we've managed to find a kind of groove to make things work. One thing I cannot seem to get a handle on is training for something. Every night I see my dog looking at me with anticipation about our run and I cringe because I don't want to run. Sometimes I force myself to go out there and just get it over with and always I feel great afterward and wish I hadn't waited until so late because I might run longer. I can't get up earlier than 5am and really struggle to get up before 6am. It could be because I'm going to bed sometimes after midnight working on things around the house. I don't want to repeat my last house, where I said one day we'll do ______ and then we did that one thing to prepare to move. I can't remember the last time I've swam and I am afraid my bike has rusted in place.
So blog, and the two people reading it, Monday, June 28th starts an exercise routine. I will start running, riding or swimming every night. At lunch, I will no longer waste my time walking around Home Depot, Lowes, HEB or Best Buy. Instead, I will go to the gym and lift weights or run or ride the stationary. At night, after all the needs to be done is done, I will go to bed before 10pm. This will allow me to get up early enough to go swim. And since I work best when I have a goal, Austin Triathlon you are on my calendar.
Even though I've been doing a lot of work around the house and haven't just totally turned into a vegetable. I think I've watched less than 10 hours of TV in the past 2 months.
We have been in our new house for just under a month and with all the crazy things going on we've managed to find a kind of groove to make things work. One thing I cannot seem to get a handle on is training for something. Every night I see my dog looking at me with anticipation about our run and I cringe because I don't want to run. Sometimes I force myself to go out there and just get it over with and always I feel great afterward and wish I hadn't waited until so late because I might run longer. I can't get up earlier than 5am and really struggle to get up before 6am. It could be because I'm going to bed sometimes after midnight working on things around the house. I don't want to repeat my last house, where I said one day we'll do ______ and then we did that one thing to prepare to move. I can't remember the last time I've swam and I am afraid my bike has rusted in place.
So blog, and the two people reading it, Monday, June 28th starts an exercise routine. I will start running, riding or swimming every night. At lunch, I will no longer waste my time walking around Home Depot, Lowes, HEB or Best Buy. Instead, I will go to the gym and lift weights or run or ride the stationary. At night, after all the needs to be done is done, I will go to bed before 10pm. This will allow me to get up early enough to go swim. And since I work best when I have a goal, Austin Triathlon you are on my calendar.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
It's been a while!
So many things have transpired since my last blog posting. Some I don't really want to talk about because they're still painful and I still have some work to do on those feelings.
One very big thing is that we've moved into our new house. We've been there almost one month now and I really like it. There are things I definitely miss about our old house but the new house is better for so many reasons that it is really hard to even try to compare them.
I've been working really hard to fix all the little things that houses need fixing. Patching singles the wind had lifted, chaulking joints, and holes on the side of the house. Fixing the garage door that made terrible screeching noises as it moved (amazing what some lubrication can fix.) I've built my raised bed garden and will be transplanting my plants in the next day or so. There are still several things that need to be done. One of the biggest is having a garage sale. We really need to get rid of some things. For now we've piled them in the garage but hopefully once my wife is done with a camp she runs we'll have a garage sale and give the rest to goodwill.
In a post to come I'll detail why a house is not a GOOD investment like everyone says, and it won't be just opinion it will be with math.
Lastly, I discovered something great that I think should revolutionize the way people do things. Yesterday on my way to work I realized my shirt was extremely wrinkled AND yesterday was my annual review!! So I stopped at HEB to see if they had something that could help and sure enough they had a Wrinkle Remover spray. Now the directions say to put the shirt on a hanger spray it and then smooth out the wrinkles with your hands. I sprayed it on me and smoothed out the wrinkles on my washboard abs and that did the trick!! All my wrinkles were gone, just like it had come out of the dryer. It was mind blowing!
I used to spend a lot of time ironing, my mother-in-law spends at least 10-15 minutes with the loudest steam iron I've ever heard ironing her close. This could save her SO much time. Unfortunately my mother-in-law would never dream of spraying something on her clothes, it's just not proper, but I'm hoping to save someone time by using this product. I ironed my clothes in the car in less than 1 minute. Amazing!!! Thanks Faultless® Wrinkle Remover!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Badass
Urban Dictionary defines badass like this:
The epitome of the American male. He radiates confidence in everything he does, whether it's ordering a drink, buying a set of wheels, or dealing with women. He's slow to anger, brutally efficient when fighting back.
The badass carves his own path. He wears, drives, drinks, watches, and listens to what he chooses, when he chooses, where he chooses, uninfluenced by fads or advertising campaigns. Badass style is understated but instantly recognizable. Like a chopped Harley or a good pair of sunglasses: simple, direct, and functional.
Yesterday, I was helping my father-in-law build a platform to protect storage items from moisture on the ground. When you're working with your hands there is a chance despite the best efforts for injury to occur. It happens to everyone who does work with their hands. Even office staff get paper cuts. However, when you're building things using tools the injuries can get a little more serious that a paper cut. My father-in-law fell victim twice to injury yesterday.
Now, I've hit my thumb with a hammer and I've gotten splinters handling wood, I've stepped on a nail and it went right into my foot, by the way I didn't bleed, it hurt. I stopped what I was doing, cursed my kicked or thrown the hammer or board or whatever I was working on. I failed at the Badass definition because I was quick to anger. Yesterday I saw how a Badass would handle that same situation.
My father-in-law shot himself with the nail gun yesterday. YOU know a construction nail gun! Luckily it wasn't in a place that would be likely to kill him, although if I had a choice I could think of several places I'd rather take a nail than where he took it. The crazy thing is he just kind of said, "huh" to which I responded in shocked fashion, "ya ight man?!" Now any person would think or expect his response to be something about the pain, but he said, "Yeah the nail hit a knot in the wood and bent out, just don't tell Terry."
I was floored, he kept working, didn't cuss, didn't stop and his biggest concern was his wife getting on to him, which she would have. I could hardly do anything because I was stunned. I like to think of myself as a badass, but I know I'm just a wanna be. My father-in-law took a nail in the finger... right under the nail. You know it hurts just when you cut your nails too short and this man took a nail from a nail gun under the finger nail. (Too many nails in that sentence)
He later said, after I asked him again if he was ok, "My daddy said shake it off" and I realized I'm not around enough men. Real men. I'm around a bunch of guys who've been left to themselves and have gotten the idea their badasses when we're not.
The epitome of the American male. He radiates confidence in everything he does, whether it's ordering a drink, buying a set of wheels, or dealing with women. He's slow to anger, brutally efficient when fighting back.
The badass carves his own path. He wears, drives, drinks, watches, and listens to what he chooses, when he chooses, where he chooses, uninfluenced by fads or advertising campaigns. Badass style is understated but instantly recognizable. Like a chopped Harley or a good pair of sunglasses: simple, direct, and functional.
Yesterday, I was helping my father-in-law build a platform to protect storage items from moisture on the ground. When you're working with your hands there is a chance despite the best efforts for injury to occur. It happens to everyone who does work with their hands. Even office staff get paper cuts. However, when you're building things using tools the injuries can get a little more serious that a paper cut. My father-in-law fell victim twice to injury yesterday.
Now, I've hit my thumb with a hammer and I've gotten splinters handling wood, I've stepped on a nail and it went right into my foot, by the way I didn't bleed, it hurt. I stopped what I was doing, cursed my kicked or thrown the hammer or board or whatever I was working on. I failed at the Badass definition because I was quick to anger. Yesterday I saw how a Badass would handle that same situation.
My father-in-law shot himself with the nail gun yesterday. YOU know a construction nail gun! Luckily it wasn't in a place that would be likely to kill him, although if I had a choice I could think of several places I'd rather take a nail than where he took it. The crazy thing is he just kind of said, "huh" to which I responded in shocked fashion, "ya ight man?!" Now any person would think or expect his response to be something about the pain, but he said, "Yeah the nail hit a knot in the wood and bent out, just don't tell Terry."
I was floored, he kept working, didn't cuss, didn't stop and his biggest concern was his wife getting on to him, which she would have. I could hardly do anything because I was stunned. I like to think of myself as a badass, but I know I'm just a wanna be. My father-in-law took a nail in the finger... right under the nail. You know it hurts just when you cut your nails too short and this man took a nail from a nail gun under the finger nail. (Too many nails in that sentence)
He later said, after I asked him again if he was ok, "My daddy said shake it off" and I realized I'm not around enough men. Real men. I'm around a bunch of guys who've been left to themselves and have gotten the idea their badasses when we're not.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Kidney Stone
Well I have some good news! Right now, we are in the 2nd day of the option period in our contract. Contract on the HOUSE!! It was on the market exactly 1 week when we got the offer. We countered and they accepted our offer. It was a good offer and really the best case scenario for us in selling the house. The only real unexpected part was closing on May12th!! THAT IS REALLY SOON!! So we're in a hunt for a house or at least a place to live. I'm trying not to buy the egg crates before our chickens lay eggs (e.g. count your chickens before their hatched) because the inspection could always bring up something we weren't expecting, BUT we have fixed a lot of the things we knew about and we know about a few things so we're not expecting any surprises. We'll find out Saturday!!
The crazy part is we had already planned for my mom to come over and take care of the baby while we went to dinner. It happened to be good timing and we had something to celebrate. It probably would have been a great evening, except for I wasn't feeling well. I thought I might be experiencing a urinary tract infection, but as the pain grew exponentially worse the Doctor informed me it was probably a kidney stone.
I will spare you all the details, but you can ask me in person and I'll tell you but it was REALLY REALLY painful. It was one of those things that you don't understand unless you go through it, pray you don't.
The crazy part is we had already planned for my mom to come over and take care of the baby while we went to dinner. It happened to be good timing and we had something to celebrate. It probably would have been a great evening, except for I wasn't feeling well. I thought I might be experiencing a urinary tract infection, but as the pain grew exponentially worse the Doctor informed me it was probably a kidney stone.
I will spare you all the details, but you can ask me in person and I'll tell you but it was REALLY REALLY painful. It was one of those things that you don't understand unless you go through it, pray you don't.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Selling the House
So the realtor we chose pays for a "stager" to come and make the house buyer ready or at least tell you the things that need to be done to make the house ready. She came today, and of course I was nervous, I really wanted the house to be in better shape than it was because your house is a reflection on yourself.
She really changed some things around and I must say, I would have never done that, but it does look better than it was. And she gave us good feedback on things to do and change that I feel will really make a difference in our house. I'm excited, before I was still kind of on the fence about selling but now I'm on board, I just need to break the news to our neighbors who will be very disappointed.
But here are some logical reasons why we should sell.
We owe $118k on our house, down from $162300 (yeah!) Our standard payment is $779/month but we pay extra ($905/month) It will take us 214 months to pay off this house at this rate. That's 17yrs and 10months for those math impaired.
Now if we buy a house in Plum Creek (besides that is a nicer neighborhood) for $140k then our standard payment on a 15yr note at 4.75% would be $778/month. However, we'll continue to pay $905/month. This means we'll have paid off that note in just over 12 years. Anyone can see the easy math that 17yrs and 10 months is longer than 12 years. But here is the crazy part.
IF we stay for 18 years and pay off our current house, we will have paid $357k for the house. If we buy a Plum Creek house for $140k and put all of our money to get the loan balance to $100k and we pay it off in 12 years, we would have only paid $152k for the house. Again it doesn't take a mathematician to see that $152k is a better deal than $357k.
Then there are the things that are harder to measure. For instance, our neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks, Plum Creek does. Our neighborhood doesn't have a pool, Plum Creek has two! Mayzie and D'Lane could walk to school when they wanted in Plum Creek, but she'd have to be driven in our current neighborhood. There are some draw backs, we won't have as much space for the dogs, there aren't huge trees that house hawks and owls. We'll have to abide by HOA rules and our house will be smaller. I'll have a further commute to work, but we'll be close to friends.
We're considering renting because it has a lot of advantages over owning a house but for right now we're focusing on selling ours. This seems pretty logical no matter which way you slice it.
She really changed some things around and I must say, I would have never done that, but it does look better than it was. And she gave us good feedback on things to do and change that I feel will really make a difference in our house. I'm excited, before I was still kind of on the fence about selling but now I'm on board, I just need to break the news to our neighbors who will be very disappointed.
But here are some logical reasons why we should sell.
We owe $118k on our house, down from $162300 (yeah!) Our standard payment is $779/month but we pay extra ($905/month) It will take us 214 months to pay off this house at this rate. That's 17yrs and 10months for those math impaired.
Now if we buy a house in Plum Creek (besides that is a nicer neighborhood) for $140k then our standard payment on a 15yr note at 4.75% would be $778/month. However, we'll continue to pay $905/month. This means we'll have paid off that note in just over 12 years. Anyone can see the easy math that 17yrs and 10 months is longer than 12 years. But here is the crazy part.
IF we stay for 18 years and pay off our current house, we will have paid $357k for the house. If we buy a Plum Creek house for $140k and put all of our money to get the loan balance to $100k and we pay it off in 12 years, we would have only paid $152k for the house. Again it doesn't take a mathematician to see that $152k is a better deal than $357k.
Then there are the things that are harder to measure. For instance, our neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks, Plum Creek does. Our neighborhood doesn't have a pool, Plum Creek has two! Mayzie and D'Lane could walk to school when they wanted in Plum Creek, but she'd have to be driven in our current neighborhood. There are some draw backs, we won't have as much space for the dogs, there aren't huge trees that house hawks and owls. We'll have to abide by HOA rules and our house will be smaller. I'll have a further commute to work, but we'll be close to friends.
We're considering renting because it has a lot of advantages over owning a house but for right now we're focusing on selling ours. This seems pretty logical no matter which way you slice it.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Selling the House
Yesterday we met a Realtor that came highly recommended from some friends of ours. He came over and gave us some tips on things to work on and fix and we're going to talk to a "stager" who will really tell us how to prepare the house to sell. He told us that our house would probably sell at 170k. Not bad I guess, I was hoping for a bit more but we'll make money so we can't complain.
The problem is what to do next. We are debt free besides the house and intend to stay that way. The wife and I both like the idea of reducing our house debt by purchasing a cheaper house. We also like the idea of getting in a master planned neighborhood, but I am struggling to figure out if that's what is the BEST thing to do. We hate debt, thanks to Dave Ramsey we have a completely different perspective on debt than we did just 5 years ago. A move to Plum Creek would likely result in us being able to pay off the house in 10years or less. That's great! I do not know many people in their 40's that own their house outright. Think about the things you can do if you don't have a mortgage payment! College tuition, no big deal, emergency fund, no big deal.
Most of the uncertainty about what to do next comes in the fact that I don't really like what I do. I'm inside all day, I don't really work with my hands and my work doesn't make a difference in people's lives. These are three things I've identified that I really want to do. I've just got to find a job that incorporates these things. Oh I forgot one... endless large amounts of money!! j/k
The problem is what to do next. We are debt free besides the house and intend to stay that way. The wife and I both like the idea of reducing our house debt by purchasing a cheaper house. We also like the idea of getting in a master planned neighborhood, but I am struggling to figure out if that's what is the BEST thing to do. We hate debt, thanks to Dave Ramsey we have a completely different perspective on debt than we did just 5 years ago. A move to Plum Creek would likely result in us being able to pay off the house in 10years or less. That's great! I do not know many people in their 40's that own their house outright. Think about the things you can do if you don't have a mortgage payment! College tuition, no big deal, emergency fund, no big deal.
Most of the uncertainty about what to do next comes in the fact that I don't really like what I do. I'm inside all day, I don't really work with my hands and my work doesn't make a difference in people's lives. These are three things I've identified that I really want to do. I've just got to find a job that incorporates these things. Oh I forgot one... endless large amounts of money!! j/k
Friday, February 19, 2010
Eating Right
I have been reading and hearing more and more about "clean" eating. Maybe it has been around for a while or maybe it is some new movement brought about by the rise of organic food.
I agree with most of all the ideas of clean eating and organic food only diets. In fact, I even tried growing all our vegetables (totally organic of course) for a month one summer which unfortunately coincided with a 25 month long drought in Central Texas. It was a miserable failure except for cucumbers which were a hit even among the squirrels. However, I do wonder how much of it is based on irrational fears and how much of it is really based on truth. I'm ok if the idea was born out of a simple existence or drive to return to a simpler life or how things were "meant to be." Some say that means how nature intended it, which I would re-word how God designed creation be function. If there is no real good reason to eat organic other than that mindset, then I'm ok with it and I agree with it.
Here's the main problem: I love processed foods!
I loved Mrs Baird's Fried Cherry pies. OMG!! I love them!! I like coke I really like RC Cole. The way the fizz (acid) eats at the top of my tongue feels great! I love spaghetti O's probably more than is healthy for a grown person. Really anything that is high in refined sugars and fat (animal or vegetable) is great to my pallet. Most people savor things they think taste good... not me, I eat them gorge style. Because why savor one when you can eat 10 and have the same taste the whole time?
Here's the other problem: Organic is expensive!!
Grass fed beef and really wild Salmon cost almost twice the hormone fed stuff. Part of me really wonders if soy fed farm raised Salmon is really all the different from whatever real wild Salmon eat. I know it is, but is it bad for me or just bad for the fish? Same with the beef. Does plain ole' grass just mean my cows don't get to enjoy the more fattening (probably better tasting see point 1) cow feed? Is it just bad for the cows or me? Sure you can search the Internet and find articles about how this is all better for me to eat organic but they seem more based on fear than facts. Or at least small lab rat type results that are extrapolated to apply to humans. Again I'm fine with just believing it is better because that's how God intended cows to grow but at twice the price I'm tempted to say, "oh well."
I would use the excuse moderation to say well I'll eat some organic and some not, but I can't. Really, I can't. Put me around something that tastes good and I'm like a crack addict who just left rehab and found some crack on the ground. It is just not something I can do. As soon as I taste the crack I go buy more and more until I find something else that tastes good. Right now, I'm in the rehab, trying to get myself off the cokes and processed Spaghetti O's partly because I'm getting ready for my 70.3 but also because I just want to live in a sustainable healthy life style, and with us down to one income I am trying to save as much money every where so we can continue our to meet financial goals. I've been doing a lot of cooking and making my own meals to help cut out all the "bad stuff" but I secretly long for Mrs Baird's chocolate covered mini-donuts or some Oreo cookies in milk... as you can see I've got a long way to go.
I agree with most of all the ideas of clean eating and organic food only diets. In fact, I even tried growing all our vegetables (totally organic of course) for a month one summer which unfortunately coincided with a 25 month long drought in Central Texas. It was a miserable failure except for cucumbers which were a hit even among the squirrels. However, I do wonder how much of it is based on irrational fears and how much of it is really based on truth. I'm ok if the idea was born out of a simple existence or drive to return to a simpler life or how things were "meant to be." Some say that means how nature intended it, which I would re-word how God designed creation be function. If there is no real good reason to eat organic other than that mindset, then I'm ok with it and I agree with it.
Here's the main problem: I love processed foods!
I loved Mrs Baird's Fried Cherry pies. OMG!! I love them!! I like coke I really like RC Cole. The way the fizz (acid) eats at the top of my tongue feels great! I love spaghetti O's probably more than is healthy for a grown person. Really anything that is high in refined sugars and fat (animal or vegetable) is great to my pallet. Most people savor things they think taste good... not me, I eat them gorge style. Because why savor one when you can eat 10 and have the same taste the whole time?
Here's the other problem: Organic is expensive!!
Grass fed beef and really wild Salmon cost almost twice the hormone fed stuff. Part of me really wonders if soy fed farm raised Salmon is really all the different from whatever real wild Salmon eat. I know it is, but is it bad for me or just bad for the fish? Same with the beef. Does plain ole' grass just mean my cows don't get to enjoy the more fattening (probably better tasting see point 1) cow feed? Is it just bad for the cows or me? Sure you can search the Internet and find articles about how this is all better for me to eat organic but they seem more based on fear than facts. Or at least small lab rat type results that are extrapolated to apply to humans. Again I'm fine with just believing it is better because that's how God intended cows to grow but at twice the price I'm tempted to say, "oh well."
I would use the excuse moderation to say well I'll eat some organic and some not, but I can't. Really, I can't. Put me around something that tastes good and I'm like a crack addict who just left rehab and found some crack on the ground. It is just not something I can do. As soon as I taste the crack I go buy more and more until I find something else that tastes good. Right now, I'm in the rehab, trying to get myself off the cokes and processed Spaghetti O's partly because I'm getting ready for my 70.3 but also because I just want to live in a sustainable healthy life style, and with us down to one income I am trying to save as much money every where so we can continue our to meet financial goals. I've been doing a lot of cooking and making my own meals to help cut out all the "bad stuff" but I secretly long for Mrs Baird's chocolate covered mini-donuts or some Oreo cookies in milk... as you can see I've got a long way to go.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The house
You know, your house seems fine to you when you're not thinking of selling it. Yeah, there are things you know need attention, things that need to be fixed, and of course the dreams you have if you had endless amounts of money to remodel the place, but when you're thinking about selling it... all of sudden everything is wrong with the house. You can spend endless hours thinking of all the things that need to get done to get it ready!
I am in that spot... all I think about is all the little things and all the big things. The thoughts of, "Oh some potential buyers would turn their nose at cream colored walls or red kitchen cabinet doors and ugly counter tops. It doesn't cost much to replace the doors and counter tops we should do replace them." I'm getting ready to sell something big which will give us several thousand dollars to use to prepare the house. I'm really ready to use that money... my wife... well she wants to meet the realtor first. Probably a good idea.
Another strange thing is the guilt I feel for leaving my neighbors. I have GREAT neighbors on either side of us. The people are across the street are the only exception, but nothings perfect right? My neighbors have put up with things I've put off and now I'm really working hard just to sell it. In the grand scheme of things I know this is the right decision for us, whether or not the mini-golf idea works out or we just end up buying a cheaper house, I just can't help but feel like I'm abandoning my neighbors who like us and want us to stay.
Oh well I guess we'll see what happens!!!
I am in that spot... all I think about is all the little things and all the big things. The thoughts of, "Oh some potential buyers would turn their nose at cream colored walls or red kitchen cabinet doors and ugly counter tops. It doesn't cost much to replace the doors and counter tops we should do replace them." I'm getting ready to sell something big which will give us several thousand dollars to use to prepare the house. I'm really ready to use that money... my wife... well she wants to meet the realtor first. Probably a good idea.
Another strange thing is the guilt I feel for leaving my neighbors. I have GREAT neighbors on either side of us. The people are across the street are the only exception, but nothings perfect right? My neighbors have put up with things I've put off and now I'm really working hard just to sell it. In the grand scheme of things I know this is the right decision for us, whether or not the mini-golf idea works out or we just end up buying a cheaper house, I just can't help but feel like I'm abandoning my neighbors who like us and want us to stay.
Oh well I guess we'll see what happens!!!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Atlanta, Georgia by morning
Ok so I just spent the last day driving to Atlanta Georgia, and after 16 hours away from home we made it to a hotel to sleep and then continue driving the remaining 2 hours.
I hate driving, I usually only drive as far as Amarillo. Then I either don't go or fly there. I used to love driving but after a while it just ends up becoming a mind-numbing experience. So you end up become one of two different types of people. The guys who "try to make good time" and get there as fast as possible or the Clark Griswold types who enjoy the locals, the sencery and their families. I'm more of the Griswold type, because I don't want to have the mind-numbing lets just push on through to the next stop. I usually stop twice on the way to D/FW, once for Kolaches in West and then in Hillsboro or Waxahacie(sp.)
What makes this trip interesting is my parents gave me a TomTom for Christmas. I thought I would never use it, but I love it. The information it gives you is great and fits right into my number crunch personality. That coupled with the fact that everyone traveling with me was pretty much sleeping 60% of the time. I became the other person... I made them take pictures from the car, I kept asking them if they thought they could hold it for another 30 minutes. Thankfully we're traveling with another group and they forced me to slow down and enjoy at least meals rather than just the snacks we had.
So today we'll finish our trip and start enjoying some great teaching and great worship at the Passion conference. I'm kind of sad that I'm not going to see my wife and baby but sometimes what's best isn't what you want. Hopefully the trip back will be faster!
I hate driving, I usually only drive as far as Amarillo. Then I either don't go or fly there. I used to love driving but after a while it just ends up becoming a mind-numbing experience. So you end up become one of two different types of people. The guys who "try to make good time" and get there as fast as possible or the Clark Griswold types who enjoy the locals, the sencery and their families. I'm more of the Griswold type, because I don't want to have the mind-numbing lets just push on through to the next stop. I usually stop twice on the way to D/FW, once for Kolaches in West and then in Hillsboro or Waxahacie(sp.)
What makes this trip interesting is my parents gave me a TomTom for Christmas. I thought I would never use it, but I love it. The information it gives you is great and fits right into my number crunch personality. That coupled with the fact that everyone traveling with me was pretty much sleeping 60% of the time. I became the other person... I made them take pictures from the car, I kept asking them if they thought they could hold it for another 30 minutes. Thankfully we're traveling with another group and they forced me to slow down and enjoy at least meals rather than just the snacks we had.
So today we'll finish our trip and start enjoying some great teaching and great worship at the Passion conference. I'm kind of sad that I'm not going to see my wife and baby but sometimes what's best isn't what you want. Hopefully the trip back will be faster!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Christmas!
Well now we're far enough away from Christmas to start thinking of New Year's eve so before I forget I figured I would tell everyone about our Christmas day.
Christmas Excitement
I worked on Christmas Eve and when I went to lunch I saw an good deal on something I wanted to buy the wife, but the stores never had one because they were sold out due to a Thanksgiving sale they were struggling to maintain stock on. I thought I had found one and after a little negotiating (I never buy big items without at LEAST a 10% discount) I got the item at 15% off!! :-) There was however a catch, the store I bought it from was not the store where the item was located. Nevertheless, I was soooo excited, that I left work early at 2:30 to go pick up the item and return my wife's gift I had bought her, some boots. After returning the boots I headed to the store to pick up her new gift, and I was beaming with excitement!! I went up to the customer service desk to pick up my item only to be met with a disappointed clerk that said, there was a mistake and they didn't have the item in stock. Apparently, he explained, their computers only update twice per day and someone had purchased the item between the last and next update. :-(
Now Regret
So at this point my head is spinning on what to do. I now have NOTHING for Christmas... WHY did I take the boots back? Why did I do this on impulse? I thought in my head disaster! So I started thinking ok IF maybe there was a mistake to I started asking people, they checked the back of the store, nothing. There was a nicer gift in the same style as the one I purchased for her but it was more than twice what I paid for the one I THOUGHT I was getting! Hope was fading for a Happy Christmas for the wifey.
Not Really a Miracle
After trying to strike a deal with several people to purchase the more expensive gift and getting about 10% off. The manager got involved and this is where magical things started happening. At this point I am very close to being defeated. I know achieving the deal I want was probably not going to happen and I can't go back to the store and re-purchase the boots I just returned. So I asked the manager for a deal on the gift, but I told her if not can I just get an empty box for the display so that I don't just have a receipt on Christmas Day. Then when you get more in on Jan 5th I'll return the box and pick up my wife's gift. I know, I know, it sounded like a sad attempt to get a deal but it really wasn't and she seemed to be ignoring me anyway as she furiously typed in the computer. A few moments later she said, "Ok the best deal I can do is $, would you like to buy this?" I struggled to maintain composure because she gave me 30% off!!! I couldn't believe it. It was brand new, no open box, no returned item. Brand new!! As calm as I could, I politely said, "Yes!", and they processed my purchased and I ran out of there fearing they would change their minds. I love negotiating but sometimes you just get lucky.
The Real Fun
So Christmas Day I gave it to her with excitement and I think she loved it. However, I was surprised by what made the day for me. It was our baby scratching at the boxes with her little fingers, every once in a while catching the end of the wrapping paper and pulling a half-dollar size off. It was really great. She has no clue what was happening, or "the meaning of Christmas." But what she continues to show me, is if I love her as much as I do, and I enjoy watching her learn, play and explore and try new things. I cannot fathom God's love for me, for us. I have no explanation for why I don't trust His love as much as I want her to trust my love, especially knowing, I'll fail her, but He'll never fail anyone. The depth of His love is really something I'll never understand.
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Brookshire-Katy Christmas
Well I was really looking forward to this weekend, I always have a lot of fun with my wife's family at their Christmas.
BUT this time we had a baby, the day (Saturday) started out great! The baby slept the whole way to Katy but then all the stimulation and everything going around the baby didn't sleep again!! She was miserable, normally she is a great baby. Happy, smiley and just all around content with life. This time she was miserable and everything made her cry and she didn't want to be anywhere but held. It ruined my day. My wife and I fought and it pretty much zapped all the energy out of me. Things were a little better on Sunday because she got two 1 hour naps but we were in a hole from the day before and so our normally smilely baby just looked and didn't interact much. Hopefully she'll be able to recover from this weekend today and be back to her normal smilely self tonight.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Post-Op
Alright I'm feeling pretty good. Yesterday I only took Advil, and everything seems alright. Today I'm gonna see what no pain meds feels like and so far everything is good.
SO I'm gonna get on the trainer today. I'll try and take it easy, nothing to crazy, but I need to get going on this training deal since I have a 1/2 Ironman coming up in 7 months plus this 100k/50k race.
My 100k running partner got hurt. Whew! I'm sad she got hurt because that is no fun, it just plain sucks BUT the good news out of it is that I don't have to endure one of the toughest tests I could imagine. However, it looks like she wants to do the 50k which is going to be really hard so I guess I'm not quite off the hook yet.
In other news I'm going to meet with the Plum Creek guys on Thursday. I'm nervous, I really want this mini golf idea to work and I'm about 2 steps away from needing to put my name on paper and put some money on the line. It is a great idea, one that will work and one I'm willing to make my job. I think God has provided some of the means, we'll see what happens.
SO I'm gonna get on the trainer today. I'll try and take it easy, nothing to crazy, but I need to get going on this training deal since I have a 1/2 Ironman coming up in 7 months plus this 100k/50k race.
My 100k running partner got hurt. Whew! I'm sad she got hurt because that is no fun, it just plain sucks BUT the good news out of it is that I don't have to endure one of the toughest tests I could imagine. However, it looks like she wants to do the 50k which is going to be really hard so I guess I'm not quite off the hook yet.
In other news I'm going to meet with the Plum Creek guys on Thursday. I'm nervous, I really want this mini golf idea to work and I'm about 2 steps away from needing to put my name on paper and put some money on the line. It is a great idea, one that will work and one I'm willing to make my job. I think God has provided some of the means, we'll see what happens.
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