Slug.

Slug is such a great word. Sometimes I feel like a slug. Sluggish. I hate feeling like that. Sam is watching a video right now in his little chair and loving it. On the other hand, I was out late last night so I'm really tired and I have a huge headache right now. I kind of wish I could curl up and sleep. Sluggish. I've done a lot of work today even with Sam, though. I think it's more of a direction or identity thing.

I saw a guy I went to school with at Walmart yesterday. Josh Willard. He was kind of a weird guy but he had a huge heart and was genuinely kind. So when I asked him what he was up to these days and he said, "Living with my friends and getting ready for Thanksgiving" while standing next to an older down syndrome gentleman, it just made sense. It was like, "Of COURSE you are. That's you." He's secure in who he is, he loves people not many love, and is giving his life to it. I'm almost crying now because that is so cool to me.

Why don't I live that way? Sure, I only saw him for 5 minutes, but the joy and confidence he exuded were nearly palpable. And they tasted good. I want to live my life hard and happy. I want to be so excited about what God is doing in me and my family and have an inkling of where I'm going.

I'm so thankful for my family, my beautiful/smart/sometimes-hilarious/passionate/emotional/irrational/amazing wife, my incredible smart and cute son, and my loving/forgiving-to-a-fault/gracious/understanding/exciting/hilarious Jesus.

I'm blessed beyond belief. Sometimes I just need to remember that and get back on track.

What's the dealio, Milio?

So, is posting once a month ok? No. I agree. I have a lot on my plate, though. I'll post again within the week, but know that things are going well. Two more courses for my certificate. Booyah. I think I just ate a piece of ice with a bug in it. Ah well...

I know, I know...

Needless to say, I kind of fell off the planet there for a while. I hope to tackle this at least once a week now that we're really in the swing of things. A couple highlights off the bat:

The whole church plant team is here and we're really going on this thing. It's exciting...and not exciting. It's going to be hard. Many in the group seem to have their own agendas and even prior personal issues with others on the team. It's interesting. Also, we're really young. The majority of the team is under 24! Steve, Kim, Julie, and I are the only "older" ones and I'm only 27. The vision is still coming into focus as well, which make things especially difficult for Julie. I'm ok with it, though. TONS of prayer, patience, humility, and love are going to be needed.

I've been doing my school work a couple afternoons a week and that's been awesome. I finished Pauline Epistles I last week and am tackling Personal Evangelism now. I should have my certificate in biblical studies by December and maybe my Associates degree by next summer. Sweet. Julie is very proud. :-)

Sam continues to amaze me. Everyone for that matter. He's 8 months old today!! He can almost walk and has 8 stinkin' teeth. Wow. Incredible little guy.

Julie is working at the cosmetic dentist office and it's going well. It can be long hours sometimes, but she's awesome. I really, really am impressed by her. She's awesome. One thing I noticed recently is how awesome she is at asking questions. She puts people at ease and really is interested in them (Eph. 2). What a blessing.

Well, I'll be back, don't worry. If anybody even reads this. I hope you do.

Working at home...

Does anybody know of a legitimate work at home type of thing where I could make between $400-$800 a month? If you do, please let me know in the comments section or email me. Thanks.

Egads...I'm back.

Well, it's been awhile but I've been understandably busy the last couple of weeks. We moved to Madison, WI on June 12th and it went really well. Our help was FANTASTIC and it was a gorgeous day for moving. It got a little hot towards the end, but nothing too bad.

It's awesome to be back, but also a little difficult. It's been hard to get back into the swing of things. We're living at Julie's parent's house and her sister is with us for the summer, too. Her parents come back for a little while on July 1st, so it will definately be a full house. I just wish Uncle Joey would stop saying, "Cut...it...out." It just isn'tt funny anymore. (Full House TV show reference for those not in the know.) My friend Mike was praying for me last Sunday and it really helped. He noticed how Paul found joy in every circumstance, even jail, because he knew he was where God wanted him to be.now this is where God wants me to be and I am finding joy in that, even in situations that try my patience and...selfishness. I want to be less about my own comfort and more about others'.

I'm reading a couple more books that I'll add to the list, but I don't have time to write now. Some interesting stuff, though.

I'll write more soon about:
Work
Postmodern gone too far?
Sam

For now, Bob Barker is calling...and so is Sam.

Just plain freaky.

I don't care for horse racing. I don't hate it, I just don't pay any attention to it. I don't know any jockey or horse names. That's why this is so weird...

Friday night I had a dream in which I watched the Belmont(?) horse race where Smarty Jones was the heavy favorite (in real life). Well, in my dream a horse with "stone" in it's name won in a huge upset. So before I left for work I told Julie, "Watch the horse race today. I drempt that 'something stone' or 'stone something' would win."

On my way home from work I turned on sports radio in time to hear, "In a huge upset today Smarty Jones was beaten by BIRDSTONE..." BirdSTONE?? Are you kidding me?? I couldn't believe it. It's just so weird.

In other news, Sam has a nasty diaper rash so I'm taking him to the doc today. Poor little guy...it kills me. :-(

How would you go about "burning down" the Outback anyway?

Sometimes you just need that spark to brighten your day. I already got mine. It came in the form of a commercial for a show in which a bunch of pretty women go live in the Outback of Australia to try and win an Aussie hunk's heart. One girl says, and I quote:

"I hate the Outback. Someone should burn it down and build a mall."

Really? Is that what you REALLY want to say? For sure? Seriously...you're sure?

Precious.