Last Scrimmage

Last scrimmage of the year. Next weekend they start preseason play.

A Whole New Game

Up until this morning, I had intended to more or less ignore the upcoming election. All things considered I felt that voting for Ron Paul was my only option as Obama annoys me and McCain bores me.

This morning, the news wires are buzzing with the news that McCain will choose the Alaskan gov., Sarah Palin as his running mate. Who could have guessed that he would have pulled that out of his hat? Not only is she a woman (duh!) but a strong (strong!) pro-life supporter. In one stroke, Mr. McCain has captured the interest of a lot of people that were slipping into voter-apathy.

Regardless of your political position (or the outcome), this election will be one for the records books.

A Disappointing Discovery

Disclaimer: As a general rule, I post what appeals to me. I avoid making assumptions as to the relevance to others. I don't preach at people nor do I post with the intent to "send a message."

I subscribe to a number of devotionals by email. Lately Swindoll has been sending messages based on Job (which is interesting as that is were I am in my daily readings). The devotional spoke deeply to my heart. Often I will post fragments of studies and then comment on them. In this instance, I will post the entire devotional and leave it to the reader to apply. (The link to the original is embedded in the title below)
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August 28, 2008

A DISAPPOINTING DISCOVERY
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Job 14:1--22

Will it be well when God examines your life, or will it be a disappointing discovery? I can't speak for you because I have no idea. But I do know "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). Is that going to be a disappointing discovery, or will it be well with you? Probing thought, which is why I've urged you to give these questions such serious consideration.

Look at Job 14:14: "If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait until my change comes."

Here's what I'd like you to think about: When you die, where will you live again? Will it be with the Lord or away from His presence forever? The choices are heaven or hell. Will it be eternal bliss filled with joy and relief and the rewards awaiting God's people? Or eternal judgment, away from God and all those things you hold dear? Only you can determine which.

C. S. Lewis wrote this:

There's no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than the doctrine of hell, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and especially of our Lord's own words; it has always been held by Christendom and it has the support of reason.¹

C. S. Lewis was no intellectual pushover. His words deserve serious consideration. Problems have a way of multiplying. The good news is---that's true only in this life---"How frail . . . how few our years . . . how full of trouble." But once we're in our Lord's presence, all that changes.

However, should you choose to ignore this opportunity to secure such hope, the alternative results will be dreadful beyond imagination. Come to think of it, that kind of future would make Job's trials seem like a piece of cake. Who wants a destiny like that? Don't go there!

1. C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), 17-18. C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. 1961. Extract reprinted by permission.

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

Windows et al

Saturday we will be washing windows. They haven't been done for several months so it is time. I need to get a long ladder to reach the back side of the house as those did not get very well done last time. The grass needs to be fertilized and some of the beds need to be cleaned up. Looks like the 'maters are almost done for the year as well.

Tonight is "Meet The Tigers" at RHS. E wants to hook up with some of the other football parents and all 3 teams will be running scrimmages.

blessings on your day

Flowers

My wife got me roses :) I was quite surprised. She thanked me for all my support. She is awesome!

Sad

Last week my boss sent an email letting me know he would be off this week (I was on vacation last week). In that email he said he would be around town in case I needed anything. I emailed him to ask if he would cover the pager for a couple of hours on Thursday so I could go to E's ceremony - he decided to go camping and told me I had to stay in the office as a result.

I am still sad - I really wanted to be there.

Super Nurse

Today is E's award ceremony. Each quarter, Sutter Roseville picks one (1) nurse to recognize and honor as the model for nursing at the hospital. This quarter it is my wife. After the ceremony, they will take her picture and display it. For any nurse this is a big deal - for a nurse who graduated less than a year ago it is huge :)

I am VERY proud of E. She is a great nurse!

Mr. Denney

I expect him to push NoDogs pretty hard this year (which is a good thing).

Day 1 of 3rd Grade

Super-student

Pain Shared

One of the things that I am learning is that pain shared is pain lessened. We are relational creatures (created in God's image - the ultimate relational being) and function best when connected to others. For me this has been a hard thing as I am, by nature, reclusive. I envy my wife her ability to dive into someone's life and connect deeply. Opening up for me is a struggle. I find it easy to listen and comfort others who are hurting but have a very difficult time reaching out when the pain is my own.

As E and I work on our marriage, I recognize that this is an area that needs improvement. I cherish my friends and will continue to work at being more open and transparent.

blessing on your day

Humble

There was an excellent article on humility posted on one of the blogs to the left. What makes it so interesting is that while written over 1600 years ago, it reads like it was written last week. I find myself convicted by much of what St. Ephrem the Syrian wrote as he chastised himself. It reminds me of the topic of several discussions lately on the subject of integrity and tolerance.

It is very easy to rant and rave at the flaws in celebrities, politicians or our family members. It is much more difficult to deal with our own when they are exposed (whether to the public or by our Lord). How much would people really respect us if they knew everything about us? Better yet, what right do we have to pass judgment on the flaws of others while hiding our own?

All too often I find myself guilty of exactly that. Today I will work at acting with integrity even when no one is watching and tolerating the flaws of those around me.

1Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

More Heat

While the south-east braces for another in a series of tropical-storms/hurricanes, California is still in the grips of the summer heat. Granted school keeps starting earlier and earlier, but starting the kids in school during triple-digit heat is rough.

NoDogs is all beside himself this year ever since we came home from back-to-school night last week. It seems that Mr Denney expects the kidlets to read a book a week. He also will only allow a couple of the Juney-B-Jones (sp?) or Magic Treehouse series before the kids are encouraged to move on. Noah is fretting that he won't be able to finish his books in a week. Of course his teacher also said he would review the books and allow more than a week for longer books but NoDogs can't seem to hear that part. E sent him to school this morning with his book to show his teacher :)

Back To School?

Along with the traffic yesterday and today, I have noticed yet another artifact of the whole "back-to-school" phenom - gym attendance. This morning there were easily twice as many people in the gym as usual. One of the reasons I go to the gym before work is to avoid the crowds (let's face it, how many people really want to get up and to the gym by 5?)

Fortunately, like the traffic, the gym crowds will gradually fade over the next 4-6 weeks.

blessings on your day

Back In The Saddle Again

Home, home from the range, eh?  Yup, back at work today.  Vacataion sure was sweet.   Logged into my system this morning to 300 emails (not bad for a week) most of which were garbage.   Mel and E are celebrating their birthdays today and SE is starting classes at Sierra. My buddy Brian took us out to the Meltig Pot Saturday night - still one of our favborite places.  NoDogs starts school bright and early tomorrow morning.

Well back to the grind, only 75 more email to respond to...

Happy Birthday

It was Liam's 2nd birthday this weeekend. SE took him swimming. Which one is having more fun?

Dream Catcher

We always visit the Spunky Skunk to get a new family game. This year we also got a puzzle :)

Noyo Harbour

S.S. Minnow!

They made it home

Wave Pool - God's Version

Can You Eat These???

Sunset Over The Ocean

... Joins us at Lunch

Our New Friend

We Made It

Got here about 2 on Saturday.  The weather has been typical for NorCal coast - foggy in the morning and evening and cool all day.   We are sitting in a local coffee shop listening to a blues guitarist play.  E and the boys went for banana ice cream.

blessing on your week

Beach Bound

Heading home in a little bit- from there we head to the coast. FishBoy and NoDogs are all packed and ready to go - not so much the dad ;) If I can get 'net access I *MAY* post some pictures but certainly won't promise anything. There is a delightful little coffee shop that features the art of locals for sale - they might have free WiFi.

SE will head down to Clovis in a couple of days leaving the boy to fend for himself. I am praying that the cat ad dog are both alive when we get home (remembering to feed and water the animals is not high on his list).

The End Is In Sight

After shortening up my lunch and hiding from my co-workers, I am on the home stretch with my project. I just fired off an email to my boss announcing that I will meet the deadline of COB today. I had a great time on this project. I talked to Bob and scoped out the next research phase. He even told me I "didn't have to wait for the stroke of 5 to leave." w00t!

I Am Ready

We leave for Ft Bragg tomorrow morning and I am sooooooooo ready. Keeping my head down this morning and trying to get my project wrapped up so I can hand it off for testing. I'll pop in a little later.

blessings on your day

Bragging Rights

I always knew E would make a great nurse, and now Sutter Hospital has confirmed it. At her first evaluation last month, she received the highest possible ratings (unheard of in a new nurse). She has received several commendations from patients (and families of patients as quite a few of her patients "never go home") for excellent care and compassion.

Now she is being honored at a special event at the hospital for receiving Sutter's quarterly Spirit Award. Since she is in competition with the entire staff of the hospital, this is an amazing accomplishment for someone who started nursing less than a year ago.

My wife is amazing and an awesome nurse!

Do You Listen?

Men, this is for you ( the ladies can read if they want):

The following is an excerpt from Chuck Swindoll's daily devotion (currently studying Job):

I'm impressed that Job listened to the words of his wife. He pondered them, he considered them, he turned them over in his mind. He neither misunderstood nor ignored her. He heard what she said, and he didn't interrupt her as she said it. That places Job in a unique category among husbands, quite frankly. Men, I've found that most of us are not hard of hearing; we're hard of listening. Our wives frequently have the most important things to say that we will hear that day, but for some strange reason, we have formed the habit of mentally turning off their counsel. Let me add here, when you do respond, always tell her the truth. If what she says is wise and squares with what you know to be truth---if it is helpful---then say so. And thank her. If it is not, say that.

How many men truly listen to what their wives say? In fact, how many men truly listen to what anyone says that isn't part of their "inner circle" ? We tend to go into a huddle with other guys - most of whom think almost exactly like we do - and ignore anything that contradicts what we think or have decided to do. We would do well to stop and listen to the people around us - especially our wives.

Take a minute today to acknowledge your mate and thank them for sharing their thoughts and heart with you.

New Hair (redux)

E's hair looks really good. She got quite a lot cut off but it is heavily layered. That is Edie Lambert from KCRA above. E's haircut looks very much like that.

I need to get my hair cut before we leave on vacation this Saturday. AR dropped his ROP class in favor of Spanish I (good choice as the ROP class was at Del Oro). SE is planning to visit her mom and siblings next week and is taking the train down to Fresno.

Note to the neighbors: Keep an eye on the place, eh?

Peaches

Last night after dinner (sausages and pasta-roni) we went over to mom & dad's house. Mom has been canning, drying, cooking and giving away peaches. She had a peach crisp that was heavenly. NoDogs likes to eat fresh peaches rather than the crisp. Mom sent us home with 3/4 of a lug of peaches (ask nice and we might share one or two).

NoDogs spent the night and will go to the zoo with g'ma and g'pa this morning. I think Alex (sister's son) is going to join them.

blessings on your day

New Hair?

E is at the salon trying out a new stylist as well as a new style. She likes the woman who did her hair for the wedding and is back with her today. She *really* liked Marina's haircut but getting that much cut off is risky. Can't wait to see what she ends up with :)

Integrity & Character

Last Sunday the sermon was on Integrity - a very relevant topic in today's society. Integrity and Character are sometimes used interchangeably. Os Guinness defines character as "what you do when no one is looking." For many centuries, a man was judged based on his "word." To be 'forsworn' (to break your oath or promise) was one of the worst labels possible. An oath breaker would never be trusted again and would never hold a position of authority. It has only been in the last century or so that we have started turning a blind eye to this type of thing.

From Walt Henrichsen's Thought For The Day we find the attitude that prevails in society today:
"There may be times when you appear obedient while being disobedient. For example, you may say you repent when you really don't, like the person who says he is sorry for his crime and means by it that he is sorry that he got caught. "

How is your integrity and your character?

Blessings on your day

Good-Bye

The jeep is gone. The mustang is here. Last night AR traded his jeep for a black mustang. The savings i gas should pay the car insurance. Plus I can see around it when I am backing out of the driveway ;)

Cleaning Up

So this has been a day for mistakes (some by me ad some by others). I have spent much of my time cleaning up. Overall that is not necessarily a bad thing. Cleaning up after others helps me to have a deeper understanding of the systems as well as give me the opportunity to "teach." Cleaning up after myself keeps me humble. Fortunately, I was able to avoid making an even bigger mess out of one of the errors by asking the right questions so that was good.

Anyway, I intend to be excruciatingly careful the rest of the day.

E is having a minor procedure done this afternoon (nothing serious) and hasn't been able to have anything to eat or drink all day. She is going to be hungry :)

blessings on your day

Ode To My Neighbors

(adapted from a posting on the 'net)

I love to socialize, I must admit
When I can't get out I have a fit,
My neighbors are there, I must go too
Sometimes I cry and go askew

Oh yes! I'm out and get to talk,
but someone says "go take a walk"
what did I do to take such abuse
"Go stick your head into a noose"

She's gone and look I see my neighbors
Brandi-wine the living end
Oh there's Jack-Sean and Sue-Anne, too
What did they do, let out the zoo?

They're crazy and zany, a good looking crew
If someone attacks me they take him on too
They're rough and gruff and sweet as pie
Such wonderful neighbors, Oh lucky am I

Wayne,the gentleman and Anthony too
they're charmers and talkers and handsome too
Jimbo my buddy and Straight Brian my friend
My broken spirit they help me to mend.

I'm happy to have them, the whole motley crew,
Such wonderful people, I really love you,
You're good and you're friendly, a wonderful group
I hug you and squeeze you, Now that's quite a scoop!

Final Solution

Well we were able to watch (and yes - record!) TV this weekend. After another hour on the phone to tech support, the technician suggested that unless I wanted to wait until Monday (when the programming staff was in) that I *MIGHT* want to just "swap out the unit" one more time. We unplugged it ad took it over the showroom, got another unit and PRESTO! Yup, the new one (3rd in 2 weeks) worked.

One wonders why they didn't suggest this on Thursday after 3 hours on the phone....

Grateful

Slow-Man is grateful for the amazing hospitality of Wayne and Sue-Anne. Thank you so much for taking care of him. We (the Arabesque-West Neighborhood Association) are eternally in your debt.

Blessings on your day (and your bed)

Recovering

After a near death experience, Slow-Man is gradually recovering (wearing Jack-Sean's underwear of course)

Be Careful What You Wish For

Life Got Too Boring, What Can I Say
No Neighbors Want To Come Out And Play!
The Neighborhood Has Been Quiet, Not A Sound
Even Straight Brian Rarely Comes Around.

This Life I Could No Longer Bear,
I Couldn't Even Find Jack-Sean's Underwear!
A Cocktail Party Would Have Been Nice -
Are The Otto's Willing To Pay The Price!!??

(signed)
The Araebesque [West] Neighborhood Association
(aka Brandi and Sue-Anne)